The Pieces of My Life
by chocolate coffee
Summary: ExB Princess Isabella was returning home on a ship after visting relatives across the sea when the ship she is on is attacked by pirates. After losing everything, she is taken aboard the pirate ship, where she befriends the Captain, or more..cont. in stor
1. Chapter 1

**Summary:** **ExB Princess Isabella was returning home on a ship after visting relatives across the sea when the ship she is on is attacked by pirates. After losing everything, she is taken aboard the pirate ship, where she befriends the Captain and some of his happens when she is forced to chose between her old life and her new one, with the one she has learned to love?**

**Sry bad summary plz read and tell me what u think! I was bored, but if ppl like it I'll continue :D oh yea and the other twilight characters will eventually come if i continue :P**

" Princess Bella?"

I turned around at the sound of my name to see my friend, Eric. Eric was the only person, besides my father, that I allowed to address me as Bella, instead of Isabella.

"Yes, Eric?" I said.

"The weather is getting worse, and the Captain has ordered me to ask you to go below decks," he said, slightly raising his voice above the wind, which was steadily getting stronger.

I was slightly annoyed that Captain Blake was trying to take care of me (no doubt to get on my father's good side), but I knew that my father would have made me, also, if he were here.

"Of course, Eric," I said with a forced smile. I stood up straight, leaning away from the railing of the ship, just as a wave tossed itself on to the ship's deck. I, being me, naturally slipped, almost throwing myself over board. Eric, knowing me very well, grabbed my wrist and pulled me away from the railings.

We walked to the door that led down to the sleeping quarters of the crew. Of course I had my own cabin, but since that was on the deck, I came down here whenever there were storms.

After Eric nodded respectfully before returning to his post, I sunk on to a lumpy cot. It was hot down here, so I flipped my brown hair so that it was fanned out around my head. I was already bored, so I tried to sleep. I soon found that that was impossible with the noise of the ever-growing storm coming from above, so I just lay there in silence, thinking.

I had left my home to visit relatives, who lived on a whole other continent, across the sea from my royal home. My father was the King, and was not able to join me on the voyage, if you could call it that. After visiting the relatives, I got back on this ship for the journey back. It took three weeks, and the only people I knew on the _Gold Night_ (the ship) were Eric and the Captain, who I despised. He kept trying to get on my father's good side so that he could one day ask him for my hand in marriage, but I absolutely loathed him.

My thoughts were interrupted with screams from above. I raced up the steps and listened through the closed door. My blood ran cold at what I heard.

There were screams from both familiar voices, and unfamiliar, that were mingled and cut short with the clanging of swords meeting. My mind raced. _Damn it _came to my mind quickly. What was I supposed to do?! I raced back down the stairs quietly.

"Bella!" I felt my heart skip a beat. I turned around quickly, breathing out a sigh of relief when I saw Eric racing down the stairs toward me, after shutting the door behind him.

"Eric, what's going on up there!?" I asked with a note of hysteric in my voice.

"We've been attacked! I have to get you out of here! Come on, I'll get you to the dingy," he said, grabbing my wrist and tugging me towards the stairs.

When his wrist hand touched the door knob, we both froze at the sound of raised voices.

"Alright crew! Search the ship for survivors. Don't harm them yet, just bring them to me," the voice said. I guessed that it was the Captain of the attacking ship. I looked at Eric, who had a look of panic on his face.

We heard yells of agreements from the opposing crew, and turned to race down the stairs once more. Before we had even reached the bottom step, however, the door to the deck was yanked open and light filled the room.

"Freeze!" At that voice, Eric threw me quickly into a pile of old rags. Though disgusted, I tried to blend in as the heavy footsteps came down the stairs.

"Come on, the Captain wants all survivors on deck." I glanced up quickly to see a dirty man (pirate, obviously) grab Eric's sword from him and rest it at Eric's throat. Eric, without giving me away, put his hands up and reluctantly went up the stairs. With another glance around, the pirate followed my friend up the stairs.

I stayed silent until I heard the door to the deck close, and then I raced up the stairs, trying not to make a sound, and stuck my ear to the keyhole.

"Is he the only one below decks?" I heard the rough voice of the Captain ask.

"Yes Cap'n," came the voice of the pirate who had taken Eric.

"In that case, keep all of the survivors here while I decide their fate. If they are going to die because of injury or are ill anyway, throw them over."

I gasped when I heard this and sprinted back down the stairs. Without a second thought, I threw off my dress and dug through the cots. When I found a shirt and some trousers, I threw them on, tying a belt around my waist and putting a dagger and sword into it. I pulled on a pair of boots, though they were far to large for me, and tied my hair back into a loose ponytail. After making a quick decision, I then drew the dagger and cut off my hair so that it was shoulder length. For the last touch, I wrapped a brown bandanna around my head and tied it. Hoping that I looked like a male now, I snuck back up the stairs and listened at the door.

"Hurry up cleaning the Captain's cabin out. When you're finished, I want the lower levels searched for goods." I knew that I only had a few minutes before they would come down to where I was and I would be discovered. Quickly, I made a plan.

I went back down the stairs and hid under the stairs. When the door above me opened, I held my breathe. I saw about six men race down the stairs. While they were searching the cots, I joined them, hoping that none of them would notice. I dug through the cots with them, and when one of them concluded the search, I ran up the stairs with them, praying as I came out on to the deck that I would not be discovered.

I wasn't. I saw eyes looking at us as we came on to the deck, and followed the other pirates to where the rest of their crew was standing. One of the men approached who I took to be the pirate Captain, and exchanged a few quick words with him.

I then looked over to where Eric and about seven others from my ship were being guarded by a huge man with brown hair. Eric looked at my and our eyes met. A look of surprise flashed over his face before he looked away. I knew he wouldn't give me away. I did notice that the _Gold Night_'s Captain, Blake, was not among the survivors. Though I didn't like him, I still felt a pang of pity for him. He had always been kind to me, and now he was dead.

My attention was brought back to the Pirate Captain when he spoke.

"I have decided what to do with the survivors. Since we only lost a couple men in this raid, we are not in need of more crew members. They shall be executed."

My heart plummeted and I looked away as the large man guarding the so called survivors brought his knife to the first man's throat with a frown. I winced as there was a cut off yelp and a splash. Two more followed that before I looked up to see the man take a step toward Eric. My eyes widened and when the knife was brought to my friends throat, without a second thought I ran forward and yelled:

"NO!"

**A/N: Ok tell me how you liked it: should I continue or not? I'm really bored right now so I just typed this up, but if people like it, I'll continue it. It'll get more exciting if I do, and yes, the pirate Captain is Edward.**


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: BTW, this story takes place hundreds of years after _Twilight_. _Twilight_ never happened, and Alice and Rosalie have never been in the story before. Carlisle and Esme have, but that'll be explained more later ; )**

**YAY! I'm so happy!!! I'd like to thank all of the reviewers! Thank you soooooo much!!!! I'm so surprised! 3 u all!!! It makes me so happy!!! *squeals* yay! Im so thrilled at all of the reviews and hits!!! Thx to my great reviewers!!!!!**

**Disclaimer: I am a blondie, so clearly not the brilliant Stephenie Meyer (unless she dyed her hair, but in that case I'm still not her) :(**

"NO!" I screamed before jumping on to the big man's back. "Don't touch him!" I yelled, pounding his back with my fists. Before I could draw my sword, however, the man grabbed both of my hands in one hand and held them above my head. I glared at him, but he wore a humored expression on his face.

"Well, well, well, what do we have here?" the man said. I looked over at Eric quickly, who had a horrified expression on his face.

"What's going on here? Who are you?" I looked up to see the Captain walking over to me. I could tell up close that the Captain had bronze hair, and strange golden eyes, that seemed to grow darker as he looked at me. He looked young, but maybe I was mistaken.

"Looks like he wants to be a pirate, Captain Edward," said the pirate holding me with an amused grin.

"Emmett, take his sword from him, along with that dagger."

Emmett, the man holding me, did so and then dropped my hands, leaving me to run away. But I couldn't. I was too terrified. I fell down on to the deck with a thud, and Emmett laughed. Captain Edward was not amused.

"Stand up," he ordered. I did so, shaking.

"Were you part of this ship's crew?" he asked me. When I didn't move, he turned to Eric.

"Was he?" Captain Edward questioned my friend.

"N-no sir," Eric said, shaking his head.

"Oh really? Then explain to me why I do not reconize him and why he seems to favor you out of your fellow crewmates."

"I do not know, sir," said Eric, keeping a straight face.

"Alright, if you don't know, then that means that he was a stowaway on one of our ships. So, if you don't mind, I shall just get rid of him," Captain Edward said with an evil smile. I knew that my face must have a look of panic, because that was what I felt. The panic grew when the Captain drew a pistol from his belt and pointed it at me. I looked over at Eric, but saw that he was being held back by Emmett, who also had a hand over Eric's mouth to keep him from helping me.

Then I looked back at the Captain, who pulled the trigger. The last thing that I heard was a yell before everything went black.

***

I opened my eyes and squinted from the light. Suddenly I yelped and brought my hands to my face when a strong, sharp pain exploded in my head. I felt my eyes start to water and was only then aware that dozens of eyes were on me. What the hell happened?

Then I looked around, remembering that the _Gold Night_ had been taken by a pirate ship and everything that had occured after that. When my mind was brought to the gun and Eric, I looked around for him. Emmett was not holding him. I paniced.

Then my eyes fell a few feet in front of me and I couldn't move. Lying on the deck in a small pool of blood was Eric, with a wound in his head. Eric, being the true friend of mine that he was, had somehow jumped in front of me and taken the bullet for me. At first I was numb, staring at the body of my friend. I felt nothing. Then realization hit me like a boulder: Eric was dead, gone. I felt the tears stream down my cheeks, soaking my shirt. I cried silently, with no thoughts crossing my mind.

I had forgotton that there was a whole crew of pirates staring at me. Suddenly I heard splashes and glanced up. The remaining survivors from the _Gold Night_ were no where. I was the only one left from the original crew, even though I wasn't actually part of the crew. Fear then mixed with my sadness, and hopelessness soon joined them. What were the pirates going to do with me?

"Captain?" I looked over to see a man with golden hair step out of the crowd of pirates and make eye contact with the Captain. They stayed like that for a minute, and to me it looked like they were having a private conversation without speaking.

When the honey haired man stepped back with the rest of the pirates and the Captain took a step toward me, my eyes started streaming faster, and my breath came out in hiccups. This was it. Princess Isabella Swan would meet her end by the hands of pirates. I was sad that I would never see my father or mother again, and wondered what people would think when the ship that was carrying the Princess

Captain Edward came up to me, and I closed my eyes while the tears continued to flow, waiting to hear the sound of a pistol trigger being pulled, waiting to meet my end. When that didn't happen, I was really surprised to feel a pair of cold, hard arms wrap around me and lift me up. I kept my eyes shut, wondering if he was about to throw me overboard, but continued to cry.

The words he spoke next made me confused.

"Come on men, get back to the ship and get going," he said in a commanding voice.

I heard the sound of things being lifted and heavy footsteps around me, but I kept my eyes shut, not wanting to look up at the man holding me.

The tears continued to fall as he grasped me.

"Captain. What about the ship?" I heard a member of the crew ask.

"Burn it. There's nothing left that we need," Captain Edward said, and I hiccuped again.

"Yes Captain," I heard the pirate say before walking away, and then I realized that I could be left on the burning ship to die. The thought of a burning death made me cry even harder, if possible, but I was not put down as I felt the Captain walk across the wooden bridge that connected the two ships.

Even though I hated the Pirate Captain that killed my friend, I clung tight to his shirt, not wanting to fall into the raging waters below. It was then that I realized the storm was still roaring around us, and then that I felt the wind whip around me. The tears became silent, and I felt numb again for some reason, and loosened my grip on the Captain's shirt, not caring any more if I fell into the sea. At least then I wouldn't feel this pain or the sorrow.

_Just let me fall..._ I thought as we continued on to the pirate's ship. With a thud the Captain jumped down on to the deck and began to give out orders, and I exited my short hopeless stage and came back to reality. I began to sob again.

I heard orders such as "Put it below deck," and "Check for injured men," but I was not put down.

"Whitlock!" Captain Edward yelled and within seconds I felt the presence of another man. This was it. He was going to have this man kill me. I cried harder, and opened my eyes a few millimeters to see who my killer would be. To my slight surprise, it was the man with the honey hair. Then, for some reason, I started to feel calm. The tears continued to fall, but I wasn't sobbing any more. I just looked at the man with fear-filled eyes, and he stared back, expressionless. Then I looked up at the Captain when he spoke, as did the man.

The Captain didn't look down at me, but looked at the man he had called over.

"Jasper, I need you to take him to my cabin. Make sure he gets some sleep." I could tell that there was more meaning behind his words then was shown, and the man, Jasper, nodded his head, obviously knowing the hidden message. I also noticed that Captain Edward still thought that I was a man.

I shut my eyes again and felt another pair of cold, strong arms wrap around me and the Captain's fall away.

Jasper carried me silently across the busy deck and opened a door. I continued to keep my eyes shut, but knew when I was lowered on to a bed. When I didn't hear anything else, I opened my still-watering eyes and saw Jasper staring at me.

"How old are you?" His question was random. When I didn't reply, he said, "You can't be too old. 16?" I shook my head and he guessed again. "15?" I nodded. "I'm surprised that they let you be part of the crew, you're so young."

I knew what he was talking about. Most men were only allowed to be part of a ship's crew if they were 17 or 18.

Suddenly I felt really exhausted. I closed my eyes and, still crying, let sleep take over.

**A/N: What'd you guys think? Review please! I kinda think it was a bit of rambling, but still, it was necessary. 3 u all!!!**

xoxo

~ Maddy Rose


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: yay!!! It's one hour 49 minutes til '09!!! its currently 10:11 pm!!! im staying up till like 1 am so I'll try and get this chappie up tonight :D**

**Thx again to all of the reviews!!!!! yippee!!! im so thrilled! yay! *squeals and claps* luv u all!!!**

**Disclaimer: I, Maddy Rose, do swear that I am not the great Stepenie Meyer; therefore, I do not own _Twilight _or its characters. I know, so sad, right? *sob* :(**

When I awoke, I glanced around, and, forgetting where I was, freaked out. Where the hell was I?

Then I remembered. I seem to forget things while being unconscious and/or sleeping.

I looked around the room and noticed that I was alone, and that I had been tucked under the covers, but, thankfully, I was in the same clothes that I wore the day before, or whenever the fall of the _Gold Night_ was. I couldn't tell what time it was, or if it was day or night, because there were no windows in the cabin.

I started to wonder what was going to happen now. I had no where to go, besides home, but we could be heading in the opposite direction for all I knew. Besides, I highly doubted that they would let me return home even if I asked.

I sat up as I heard the door open and close again, and looked over to see Captain Edward approach the bed. What did he want?

"Glad to see you're finally awake," he said with a smirk. When I threw him a questioning glance he explained. "You've been asleep for almost two and a half days. Of course, you hit your head pretty hard."

I was confused again. What did he mean, "hit my head pretty hard"?

He noted my confusion. "When your, mm, friend, saved you, he pushed you out of the way. You hit your head on the railing of the ship. That's why you were unconscious," he said, and my eyes filled with tears at the mention of Eric. He noticed and let out an exasperated sigh.

"I've never known any teenage boy to be so emotional," he said coldly. I glared at him through my tears, which were streaming down my cheeks.

When I didn't say anything, however, he drew something from his pocket and rolled it on the bed to me. An apple.

"I thought you might be hungry," he said before exiting the cabin, shutting the door behind him.

I picked up the apple and glanced it over. It didn't _look_ poisoned, but I'd better check any way.

I wasn't really hungry, but I had to keep my energy up, so I took a bite. After a few more bites, I realized that I was hungry, and devoured the rest of the red fruit.

I was surprised to hear the door creak open again, and looked up to see Emmett, the man that had killed off the survivors, walking over to the bed with another amused grin on his face.

I paniced. Surely the Captain had sent him to kill me, like he had the others, but Emmett just tossed something on the bed and looked at me.

"Nice hair," he said with a laugh before walking out and closing the door behind him. Whatever. He wouldn't look too good either if he had been sleeping for two days.

I glanced down to see what he brought. A loaf of bread. I kicked the blanket off of me and leaned forwards to grab it. To my surprise, it was still warm. I eagerly ate half of it before hiding the other half under the pillow. I didn't know when they would feed me next.

I didn't think that I would be tired after sleeping for two days, but I was. I curled up into a ball and shut my eyes.

***

When I opened my eyes, I saw a pair of golden ones staring right back at me. I sat up, too quickly, and felt dizzy. Captain Edward was sitting on the bed with an amused grin on his face.

"What? Did the evil clown fish get you? Or the did Emmett's hair friz up?" he laughed.

Damn it, what did I say this time?

"Huh?" I groaned sleepily.

"Oh nothing. You were just mentioning things," Captain Edward said with another chuckle."Are you feeling better?" he asked. I nodded.

I did feel better, but my throat was burning, and my my mouth was dry. Thankfully someone else must have thought of that too, because there was a canteen laying next to me. I drank its contents down quickly.

"Since you're feeling better, why don't we discuss what shall happen to you." I frowned. What would he do with me? He said that he didn't need any other crew members.

"You'll be staying on this ship until I decide what to do with you, for now. But first, hear me out. There will be no escape attempts, are we clear? We are in the middle of the ocean, so if you do try to jump, you will drown. I won't send anyone out to you, unless you fall over by accident, is that clear?" he asked, narrowing his eyes.

I nodded. Suicide was for weak people. I wouldn't kill myself without a really great purpose, such as saving someone else. That would just mean that I was not strong enough to handle what the world dished out to me.

"There will also always be crew members out on the deck, day and night, so don't even try to take off in the dingy. You'd be caught." Again I nodded, and he looked satisfied.

"Now, what is your name?" I didn't reply. If I said anything, he would know that I was a girl. The only thing I had said so far was "huh."

When I didn't answer, he said, "Well I don't feel like guessing, so until you tell us, you won't have a name. Now get changed, and then meet me outside of the door." He pointed to a change of clothes on the edge of the bed and left.

I slowly got up, stretching, and took off the dirty clothes that I had found laying around. I gratefully put on the clean shirt and pants and tied a belt around my waist. Of course, there were no weapons, but I had already guessed that. However, to my surprise, there was a brush. I took it and combed through my hair as gently as possible. I guessed I knew what Emmett had met now. My hair was a complete mess.

Once I was done with that, I grabbed a chunk of the left over bread and ate it quickly. When I was done, I went over to where I was a dirty mirror leaning on a wobly table against a wall. I took my old shirt and wiped it off.

I gasped at my reflection. I was so busy trying to untangle my hair that I didn't even notice how short it was. It used to be waist long, and now it went over my shoulders just a bit. It was dirty, and it felt it too. It was heavy and dead. I needed to wash up.

My face was pale as always, but I had a cut running down my cheek. I hadn't even noticed getting it, but it looked deep. My eyes were the same brown, but I could've guessed that myself. What was sad tough, was that it wasn't me any more. It wasn't Princess Isabella. I was a whole new person now, and my life was new, too.

As I thought about it, I became depressed. My best friend was gone, the ship I loved was destroyed, and I would most likely never see my mother and father again. I would never see the friends that I left at home again. I was even sad at the fact that I would never see Captain Blake again. He was dead. The pieces of my life were in ruins. The men on this ship had no idea who I was, or even that I was a girl!

Tears filled my eyes at all of these thoughts, but I blinked them away. I turned away from the mirror, and walked over to the door. I took a deep breath, and push the door open to meet Captain Edward.

**A/N: Ok how'd everyone like it? 11:18 pm now!!! I'm so excited!!! plz review, and I'd like to thank all those who do and/or have!!!!! It keeps me writing!!!!! (so close to '09!!!)**

~Maddy Rose


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: HAPPY 2009 EVERYONE!!!!!!!!! EEEEEK!!!!! IM SO HAPPY!!!!!! 4th chappie today, well, not technically, but.......... i havnt slept so thats wat makes a day for me! and its all because of you great reviewers!!!!!!!!!!!!!! thank u all soooo much!!!!!! it means so much to me and this story!!!!!!!!!**

**YAY!!!!!!!!!!**

**Disclaimer: hate to break it to y'all, but i stole _twilight. _problem is, they stole it back. now im sad :(**

**k so here's one of those copy and paste things cuz they're awesome: last night i was lying in bed staring up at the stars when i thought, where the heck did the ceiling go? XD i kno, hilarious, right?**

I took a deep breath, and pushed the door open to meet Captain Edward. He was waiting a few yards away, leaning against the railing and talking to... Jasper, I think it was.

As I approach the two, they looked up.

"Much better. Now, you remember Jasper. Jasper, you remember... well, he won't tell me his name, but..." Captain Edward said.

"Hello. I hope that you're feeling better now," Jasper said with a friendly smile. I couldn't help but feel happy and smile too, with a nod of my head. I turned back to Captain Edward when he spoke again.

"It's thanks to Jasper here that you're still alive. He convinced me not to kill you." I looked at them both again, my brows creased in confusion, but also remembered how, back on the _Gold Night_, they had had what looked like a "silent conversation." Odd.

"Jasper, you may return to your duties," Captain Edward dismissed Jasper, and once he was gone, said, "Emmett!"

In a second the huge man was behind me. I started-how did he get behind me so fast? Emmett only laughed at the look on my face, and I glared, sticking my tongue out. This only made him laugh harder. I narrowed my eyes and turned back to Captain Edward, who had an amused look on his face.

"Emmett, you will be showing him around today. Show him where the food is kept, too." the Captain said.

"Yea, sure Captain," Emmett said before grabbing my wrist and tugging me.

"Oh, and Emmett?" We stopped and turned to see Captain Edward. "Don't do it," he said with an exasperated look on his face.

Emmett's grin immediately fell. "Whatever... way to ruin all the fun...hmph..." he mumbled, leading us away from Captain Edward again. What the hell was that all about?

When we reached a door, Emmett led me down a flight of stairs to a lower deck. Even though Emmett was leading me, I still felt my ankle roll out from under me and I slipped, falling down the remaining three stairs and landing flat on my face with a grunt.

"Damn it..." I muttered under my breath. As I stood up and dusted the dirt off of my clothes, Emmett was rolling on the floor with laughter. I glared at him until he finally stopped, panting with a stupid grin on his face. I'd like to smack that grin off!

"Man, that was hilarious! Come on," he said between chuckles. I followed him, carefully, to a small room that was separate from the rest. I saw cans lining the walls and barrels on the ground.

"This is where the food is stored. You can take what you like, but you have to make it last until we get to port. The barrels are filled with water. Now lets go back up, _carefully_," he said, still laughing slightly. Seriously, it was that funny. And now my ankle was throbbing.

I limped out of the room after him and met him at the bottom of the stairs.

"I suggest that you go first. You seem to be a bit clumsy." I glared at Emmett. Moron. All the same, I knew that he was right, and led the way up the stairs, throwing the door open with a mad look on my face. I saw a few of the crew stop what they were doing to glance up, but they soon went back to work.

I followed Emmett around for the rest of the day, and helped out where I could, or if Emmett was busy. Emmett wasn't too bad after you got used to his obnoxious sense of humor.

When the sun finally set, I was actually dead on my feet. I went back down for some food and filled a canteen up before heading back up.

When I got to the upper deck, most of the crew were sitting around, talking. How weren't they exhausted? They had all been working over twice as hard as I had all day! I went over to Emmett, unsure of what to do, and found him talking to Jasper.

"There you are! Wondered where you went off to..." I glared at him. I was perfectly capable of taking care of myself, even if I fell a few times.

While he talked to Jasper, I sat on the deck a couple feet away, leaning back against the railing and watching the conversations going on around the deck. Shouldn't some of them be retiring for bed yet? Then I realized that I hadn't seen any cots around. I pushed the thought away though, Emmett hadn't shown me all of the lower decks, just the room used to store food and water.

As I looked around, I noticed some of the men's eyes glancing over at me time and time again. Of course, I was the only "man" that Captain Edward had decided to spare, for some reason because of Jasper, so obviously they'd have to talk about me. I'd have to thank Jasper later, though how he saved me, I still don't know.

As the moon rose in the sky, I felt my eyelids grow tired as they started to drop. More glances were thrown at me. What? Hadn't they ever seen a tired person before?

The last thing that I felt before giving into my exhaustion was a pair of cold, hard arms lifting me up.

***

I woke up and looked around. I was in Captain Edward's cabin again. How'd I get here?! And where was he?! I hadn't seen him since the morning before...

I sat up and realized how hungry I was. I looked around for what was left of the loaf of bread and found it. I finished it off, then reached down to my belt for the canteen I had tied there. When it wasn't there I groaned. My throat was burning again for some reason.

"Looking for this?" I looked up to see Captain Edward enter the room, shutting the door behind him. "Here, catch," he said, throwing a canteen at me. And, me, being the Bella that I am, just brought my hands up to protect my face as the canteen landed with a dull thud in my lap. He chuckled as I picked it up and drank half of it.

When I put the canteen down, he looked at me, as if concentrating hard on something. I gave him a puzzled look and he snapped out of it. "Alright, here's the deal. I'm not going to kill you. That's for sure. But otherwise, I think that, since I am in need of no more men, the next time that we stop at a port you can get off there and sign up for another ship's crew. Other then that, until then you can stay and work when needed. We'll be stopping off on an island soon, but that island has no port. My crew just needs... something there, and you'll be staying on the ship while we... get it," Captain Edward said. What? He was confusing me. What did this island have to do with me? When were we stopping at a port? What would I do when we got to the port?

"While you're here, if you're not needed, you may wander around the ship. Just stay on the top deck and in the food room. The rest of the ship doesn't have anything that you need to get into, so don't go looking around anywhere else," he said in a commanding voice. I nodded, and he walked out of the room, leaving me alone.

I sat in the bed for a while longer, pondering all that he had said. I was confused, and afraid. Since everyone on the ship still thought that I was a 15 year old boy who was part of the _Gold Night_'s crew, the Captain was assuming that I could sign up to be in the crew for other ships. Where was he going to drop me off though? Would it be far from home, my father's kingdom. I wouldn't be able to get home if it was far away. What would I do then? I had no money, and no food. I didn't even have a weapon!

I shook my head, trying to clear it of these thoughts. I then got up, tying the canteen back onto my belt. I brushed through my hair again, and rubbed the dirt off of my face before going out onto the deck.

Things were like the day before on the deck. Men were working all around, and a few glanced up at my arrival. I even noticed a few smirking. What? Just because _they_ could stay up after a full day of work didn't mean that I could! I narrowed my eyes in anger while deciding what to do.

In the end, I joined Emmett for a few hours after grabbing something to eat, and then stood up by where Jasper was steering the ship, just leaning against the railing and gazing out over the endless blue. I still wouldn't talk.

I could tell that both Jasper and Emmett were somehow above the rest of the crew in command, though I didn't know quite why. Emmett was keeping charge on the main deck while Jasper steered the ship.

I didn't see the Captain all day though, and I was rather glad after our conversation that morning. I didn't want him to bring it up again.

When another crew member came to relieve Jasper, around when the sun set, I followed Jasper back down onto the main deck. I had been sticking around him and Emmett all day, or just staying away from the others. Some of the others seemed to be kind, but I wouldn't talk to any of them, and a few snickered whenever I walked by.

Jasper and I joined Emmett, who was talking to two other pirates. When Emmett saw me, he got up and left Jasper take his place in the conversation and came over to me.

"Captain said that you'll be sleeping in his cabin. You can go in there whenever you feel tired," he said. I nodded, glad that there shouldn't be a repeat of last night now.

After Emmett went back to his crewmates, I headed below the decks to where the food was kept, grabbing a can of fruit and refilling the canteen. I ate it on the steps leading up to the deck, because when I had breakfast this morning, most of the crew were looking at me like I was crazy.

After that, I went up to the deck and went over to the railing, leaning carefully against it. Most of the crew had witnessed my clumsiness many times over, and I didn't want to fall over.

I stared across the water, and looked at the moon's reflection. It looked so calm out there.

The sound of the waves crashing against the ship made me sleepy, so when the moon was high above me I went into Captain Edward's cabin and collasped on the bed, falling into a deep sleep.

**A/N: sry, kinda a filler chapter, but i needed to fill something before the next couple chapters. it will get better though, i promise!!! now id better get to bed before mom catches me. its almost 3 am, and she and my sister get up _early_, so nightie night! plz review, even though this chapter kinda sucked! thx so much!!! HAPPY NEW YEAR 2009!!!!!!!!!!! :D**

**~MaDdY rOsE**


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: sry for not mentioning it earlier. this _is_ a vampire story**

**thanks so much to you who review!!!!! eeek!!!!! its 09!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! i love all of the guesses, some are really close to being right!!!!!!!!! luv u all!!!**

**disclaimer: me no own. S.M. does. nor do i own the song.**

The next couple days continued in the same way. I followed Emmett or Jasper around, or walked around by myself. I hadn't seen Captain Edward much. I worked where I could, but continued with my "no talking" routine. So far, all I had said was "huh," and a few curses when I tripped and Emmett laughed. Other than that, though, not a word came out of my mouth.

It was my fifth day on the ship when I woke up to see Captain Edward enter the room.

"We'll be stopping at an island soon. You are to stay on the ship, but you may go on to the shore as long as you do not enter the vegetation. Stay in sight of the ship."

With that, he left.

I got up and ready for another day before running down to the food room for a bite. When I arrived back up on the main deck, the pirates were in a small crowd. I searched it for either Jasper or Emmett, but found neither.

"Boo!" I jumped and whipped around to see Emmett standing behind me, clutching his stomach while laughing his head off. As I glared, Jasper came up behind him and addressed me.

"We're going on to the island momentarily," he said, and I threw a glance over the railing of the ship. Sure enough, there was sand, and beyond that, dense vegetation. I hadn't even noticed that we had stopped.

"If you go into the vegetation, it's as good as commiting suicide. There are... things on this island that will kill you if you wander far enough from the ship. You _must_ not follow us. Captain's orders," he finished, and I nodded. I had no intentions of going into the... jungle, I guess you could call it.

"Alright, let's go!" I looked up to see Captain Edward address his crew, and then follow them off of the ship. With a nod to me, Jasper followed, along with the still-laughing Emmett. I glared at Emmett as he walked past me.

When all of the pirates, including Captain Edward, had disappeared into the green mass on the island, I sighed. How long were they going to take? I decided to go down on to the sand. It had been weeks since I had been on land.

I walked down the wooden plank that led to the shore carefully, not wanting to fall. When my feet touched the scortching hot sand, I flinched, but after a moment I got used to the temperature and started walking.

The sand felt so good. Finally off that damn ship. I sat down and took handfuls of sand at a time, letting it fall through my fingers.

When the sun was directly above my head, I got too hot. I walked out into the cool waves, until the water was waist high. In a quick decision, I dove under the surface and closed my eyes, letting the salty water get the disgusting feeling out of my hair and off of my skin. I let the waves toss me around under the water for a moment, but resurfaced when my lungs began to burn.

I headed back to the shore, and stared into the vegetation. What the hell were they doing that was taking them so long? It must have been hours already!

With an annoyed sigh, I lay back down on the shore and stared up at the clouds that were swirling around in the breeze.

After lying like this for an hour I grew bored. When a song popped into my head, I began to hum it.

I didn't even realize when the words began to come out of my mouth, and I was soon singing.

Grew up in a small town  
And when the rain would fall down  
I'd just stare out my window

Dreaming of what could be  
And if I'd end up happy  
I would pray (I would pray)

Trying hard to reach out  
But when I tried to speak out  
Felt like no one could hear me

Wanted to belong here  
But something felt so wrong here  
So I prayed I could break away

I'll spread my wings and I'll learn how to fly  
I'll do what it takes til' I touch the sky  
And I'll make a wish  
Take a chance  
Make a change  
And breakaway

Out of the darkness and into the sun  
But I won't forget all the ones that I love  
I'll take a risk  
Take a chance  
Make a change  
And breakaway

"So you are a girl."

I stopped singing. I sat up and whipped around when I heard that voice. I saw Jasper walking towards me, and panic filled me. He had heard my voice as I sang. Damn it.

I stood up as he reached me, but didn't know of anything to say. My secret was blown now. I hadn't denied it when he said it, so he would know that it was true. Thankfully, he spoke before I could say or do anything.

"I had been thinking that something was strange with you. Most teenage boys don't cry continuously, or feel the mix of emotions that girls do," he said with a chuckle. Damn it. I couldn't help it! My best friend had just died, and my life had been threatened by a whole ship of pirates.

Since he already knew, I decided not to hide it. "Please don't tell," I pleaded, my voice cracked from lack of use the past few days and tears filling my eyes.

"I can't guarantee anything. Captain Edward has an uncanny... abilty for finding these things out. It'd be far more easy just to tell him and get it over with. He'll find out eventually either way," Jasper said with a shrug. What the hell did he mean, "he'll find out eventually either way"?

"Please-" I started, but was cut off.

"I won't _tell_ him, but he will find out. It would save a lot of trouble for you if you just told him yourself."

"How so?" I asked.

"Well, if he... hears it from someone else, he'll know that you're keeping the secret from him, but if _you_ tell him, he might not be as mad," Jasper explained, and I nodded. If Captain Edward was going to be mad either way when he found out, I might as well tell him myself.

"How much longer will everyone be? Why are you here?" I asked Jasper. He sat down and I joined him.

"The others may be as late as sunset, but I finished before them, so Captain Edward asked me to come back to make sure you hadn't gone wandering off too far," he explained and I stared out into the crashing waves.

We stayed like this, but Jasper broke the silence.

"Are you going to tell me what you're name is now?" he asked. I thought about it. Why not? There was no point in keeping that a secret, but I still wouldn't let anyone know that I was Princess Isabella, so I just said, "Bella."

"Bella? But that's a girl's name!" We both turned around and saw Emmett approach us. Oh crap. Even if Jasper could keep quiet, Emmett couldn't. Damn it. How had he came up behind us so quietly?!

Before I could say anything, Emmett sat down on the other side of me and looked at Jasper.

"Captain says it'll only be about another hours. There were a few complications," he said with a grin, and Jasper nodded.

Emmett turned to me. "So, Bella, is it? How'd you end up with a girl's name? Bet you get picked on non-stop.

I looked at him with amazed eyes, as did Jasper. Was this guys seriously immature enough not to understand what was happening?!

He seemed to catch on after a few minutes.

"Wait. You are a girl, aren't you?" he said. I just turned to look out at the waves again.

"No wonder you're so damn clumsy!" he said with a laugh.

"How is that funny?!" I snapped.

"Well, it's kind of hard not to find it funny." I threw needles at him with my eyes.

"Wait until Edward hears this," he said. I ignored the fact that he had just called his captain by name.

"You can't tell him!" I said, my eyes starting to water again.

"Aw, come on. Don't cry. He's going to find out anyway, so let me get a kick out of telling him," he said with a smile as he put an arm over my shoulder.

"No! I'll tell him when I'm ready!" I said firmly.

"Whatever. I'll try to stay away from him then," Emmett said. What would staying away from Captain Edward have to do with this situation? "I still don't see why I can't tell him..." Emmett grumbled and Jasper entered the conversation.

"Emmett, if anyone other then herself tells the Captain, he's going to be enraged. You know his temper. Let her tell him." Thank you Jasper!

"Whatever..." Emmett grumbled, then "Why the hell didn't you just tell us from the beginning?! And why did they have a girl on their ship?!"

I didn't answer. I didn't know why I didn't tell them to begin with, and I most definitely would not tell them that I was Princess Isabella, and had been visiting relatives.

We sat on the shore gazing out into the waves when we heard noises come from behind us. We turned at the same time and squinted in the light of the setting sun to see the rest of the crew push their way through the vegetation and on to the shore.

As they neared the ship, we got up and joined them. I followed Jasper and Emmett on to he ship, and jumped a bit when I heard the Captain's voice come from behind me.

"Glad to see that you didn't wander too far." I turned around and nodded. I wouldn't tell him just yet, especially not here.

After I nodded, he walked away, leaving me to run below decks and grab some food and water. I had only just realized how hungry I was and the slight burning at the back of my throat from dryness.

Once finished with that, I joined Emmett and Jasper on the deck, where they were talking. I still didn't speak, now that we were around others, but I felt more content. They didn't bring up anything from earlier, and I was glad. I just wandered what Captain Edward would do when he found out...

**A/N: the secret's out!!! plzplzplz review and tell me what u thought! and thanks again to all of you who review each chappie!!!!! plz tell me what you liked/didn't like, and thx!!!!!!!!!! BTW, sry if u dont like the song. its breakaway by kelly clarkson. i just had to find something that kinda fit the story. its not the whole song, but still. plz review!!!!!! luv all reviewers!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! yay!!!!!!!!!!!!!!**

**~Maddy Rose**


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: thx sooooo much for all of the reviewers!!! the more reviews i get, the faster i type it seems!!!! they make me so happy!!!!! i also love the guesses!!!!!!!**

**disclaimer: i _really really_ wanna own the twilight guys, but- *sob*- stephenie meyer owns them all, along with all of the other characters. *cry* i do, however, own the bowl of mac and cheese that i am eating right now :D**

The next day I jerked awake when something really heavy bounced on to the bed. I opened my eyes to see Emmett lying on the end of the bed. I was lucky he hadn't crushed my feet.

"Geez you sleep forever! It's already around seven!" Seven! That wasn't late!

"Go away..." I moaned, rolling over and putting the pillow over my head. It felt great to talk again.

"Come on! Get up!" Emmett yanked the covers off of me and picked me up, setting me on my feet. I was still holding the pillow over my head, so I set it back on the bed and yawned. Emmett was in a joyful mood today.

"What the hell was that for?" I mumbled. "I can wake up when I want to."

Emmett said nothing. He just looked at my hair and began laughing. I knew it must be a mess. I had had a very restless night, filled with nightmares about Captain Edward finding out my secret and getting really mad.

"Shove off," I grumbled, grabbing the brush and running it through my hair.

"Don't you want breakfast? We found some fruit on the island yesterday. Fresh," I turned to him. Something fresh did sound good. Stupid canned food was starting to get on my nerves... I nodded, and he tossed something on to the bed before leaving. I picked up a banana and peeled it while wondering where we were, and how we got tropical fruit.

After finishing off another banana and a mango, I scrubed my face off and went out on to the deck.

The pirates all seemed to be in a much better mood than the day before. Most of them were laughing and having fun conversations. Only a few of them looked up when I walked out. Whatever they did on the island yesterday had up-ed their moods.

I strode over to where Emmett was working on tying something. He looked up with a smile when I approached.

"Well, there's my favorite little man. Finally up and going," he said. I smiled at our inside joke and leaned back against the railing of the ship. I listened to him as he talked, until I was hungry again. He told me that the new fruit was all in the food room, so I went down there and grabbed a couple fruits at random.

When I returned to the deck, I looked down at my hand and selected what looked like a passion fruit out of the two. The other was a papaya.

I joined Jasper now up where he was steering and took a bite of the fruit. The juice came out in my mouth and I found it delicious.

Jasper just watched as I ate, and then it occured to me: why weren't he or any of the others eating? Now that I thought about it, I hadn't seen any of the pirates on this ship eat anything, and Emmett had said that I could take anything I wanted from the stock of food. Wouldn't they want to save some for the crew? None of the crew carried canteens around, either. Queer... I would ask Jasper or Emmett about it later, when we were alone.

I went to bed early that night. I wasn't too terribly tired, but I wanted to ask Emmett about the food thing, so I dragged him into the cabin with me.

Before I got to ask him, though, Jasper joined us and looked at me.

"I think that you're going to need to tell Captain Edward soon," he said in a low voice. Sometimes he said the most random things.

"W-why?" I asked, keeping quiet like him. Emmett also threw Jasper a questioning glance, so Jasper explained.

"Captain Edward has just informed me that we will be stopping off at the next port, soon, and I seem to recall him saying that you would get off this ship there. Problem is, since you're a girl, you can't sign up for any crew unless you continue acting like a boy, and that would mean no talking at all," he said. "If you tell the Captain, however, we might be able to figure something out."

I sat there considering what Jasper just told me. He was right, I figured. If I signed up for any crew, I would have to work hard, and I wasn't used to that. I would also have to sleep in the same room as the crew, and changing clothes would be a difficulty. But I still wasn't sure that I wanted to tell Captain Edward.

After weighing the outcomes, I decided to go with Jasper's plan. I looked at him and nodded.

"When should I tell him, though? I don't want the rest of the crew to know unless he tells them, but I never see him alone," I said, looking at both of them.

"She might be able to tell him tomorrow. It would have to be soon," Emmett whispered, looking at Jasper, who nodded.

"He spends some of the day in here, planning, so maybe when he's in here I can tell him that you'd like to talk to him," Jasper said, looking at me. Once again I nodded.

"Alright, I'll plan on that then."

With that Jasper put a hand on my shoulder to reassure me, then left. Emmett did the same.

When I was alone, I got off of the bed and pulled the covers down before slipping the trousers off. I slept in a shirt since the trousers were itchy. I missed my old clothes.

After getting under the covers, I closed my eyes and fell into a sleep filled with worried dreams. I just hoped that tomorrow would go over smoothly.

**A/N: k i kno, its a short chapter, and kinda a filler, but now ill start typing the more excited part! plz revies with comments and guesses!!! tell me how u like the story so far! ill try to have the next chapter up tonight!!!!!!!! luv all of the reviewers!!!!!!!!!!!!!!**

**~Maddy Rose**


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N: thx so much for reviewing guys! it means the world to me!!!!!!!! it really does!!!! i appreciate it so much!!!!!!!! luv all of my reviewers!!!!!!!!**

**disclaimer: i dont own twilight, blah blah blah, dont rub it in plz, yea.... :D**

"Throw her overboard!" I heard. I had just told Captain Edward that I was a girl and had been lying to him this whole time, and now he was seething with anger.

"No! Please!" I cried as two pairs of hands grabbed my arms and began to drag me out the door. I was crying hysterically, and looked up to see that Emmett and Jasper were the ones dragging me. They were both frowning at me.

I looked at Captain Edward, my eyes pleading him not to do this. He only glared back, his eyes piercing through my heart. I tried to cry out again, but choked on a sob.

As Emmett and Jasper dragged me across the deck, I began to struggle. They only squeezed my arms tighter, until it felt as though they would snap at any moment.

"P-please! Don't-t d-do this!" I begged. I gave up on trying to escape from their grips, but I let my head drop as they neared the railing of the ship. I thought that Jasper and Emmett were my friends.

"Bella! Bella!" My head whipped up at the voice of a person I thought that I'd never see or hear again. Eric.

"Bella! No! Don't do this to her!" Eric cried. As he leaped to attack Jasper and Emmett, a hand grabbed him out of nowhere. I saw Captain Edward grab my friend's neck, and I cried out.

"Eric! No! Stop it! Please don't!" I screamed, trying to jerk out of Emmett and Jasper's grips. They continued to haul me to the railing, and I started yelling.

"No! No!"

Jasper then grabbed my ankles, and Emmett took both of my wrists. They lifted me up and I met Jasper's eyes. They were full of hate, and loathing. Then I looked up at Emmett through my tears.

"Please..." I whispered. Emmett's face got an expression of disgust, and when I heard a scream, I broke eye contact and turned to the scream. I gasped.

Captain Edward was leaning over Eric's near lifeless body, his teeth digging into my friend's neck, sucking him dry. A trickle of blood ran down Eric's neck, and he grew pale.

The last thing I heard before Jasper and Emmett threw me over the railing was Eric's cracking voice screaming for me.

"Bella! Bella! Bella!"

As I hit the water's surface, Eric's voice echoed in my head. I screamed, and salty water filled my lungs. The waves dragged me down, until darkness started to take over my vision. As I drifted into unconsciousness, the echoes of my name grew louder.

***

"Bella! Bella! Bella!"

I sat up, gasping for breath, to see Emmett and Jasper saying my name and shaking me with panicked expressions on both of their faces. I was sweating, and tangled in the sheets on the cabin floor. I felt overheated, and my couldn't speak when I tried.

It was just a dream. Just a nightmare, I told myself.

"Bella? Are you alright? What happened?" Emmett asked, unwrapping the sheets from around me. I was still panting for air, and soon tears filled my eyes. I started sobbing, and Jasper handed me a canteen filled with water. I gratefully drank half of it before my breathing began to return to normal.

When I could talk, Emmett asked again, "What happened?" He and Jasper were looking at me with concerned eyes.

"I-I... I-it was j-just a d-dream..." I said between gasps for air. Emmett pulled me close to him, and I found that his cold body felt great against my burning skin.

"It's alright, Bella. What happened in the dream?" Jasper said, moving closer to us on the floor.

I waited a second to get some air, then said, "I t-told him. He was r-really m-mad." Jasper and Emmett both looked at me with concern before I continued. "H-he told you b-both t-to, to... throw m-me o-overb-board..." I stuttered.

"It's alright, Bells. You know that we'd never do that, even if he told us to," Emmett said, hugging me more tightly. Jasper was nodding his head at Emmett's words. I felt a bit better at the use of my old nickname, but still cried.

"T-that wasn't all," I said. "E-Eric! H-he t-tried to h-help me, but, but C-Captain Edward... he, he..." I trailed off there, too terrified of what had happened to continue, but Emmett wanted me to get it all out.

"What did he do, Bella?" he asked.

I shook my head.

"Bella?" Jasper asked. They could both probably tell how horrified I was.

"H-he... h-he... _bit_ E-Eric... s-sucked him d-dry!" I said before beginning another round of tears. I pressed my cheek against Emmett's chest as his head snapped up, meeting Jasper's eyes at my words. They stared at each other with a look of shock and horror on their faces while I cried.

After a while, when my crying had slowed so that it was silent, Jasper got up and took me from Emmett's arms. He sat down on the bed with me on his lap and began to stroke my hair as Emmett sat down next to me, covering one of my hands with his.

"Everything's going to be alright, Bella," Jasper murmured comfortingly in my ear. Emmett nodded his head as Jasper continued.

"Bella, it's still best to tell Captain Edward today. That was just a nightmare. He won't hurt you," he said.

"And if he tries to, I'll knock the living daylights out of him," Emmett said, punching the air. I smiled a bit at this.

"So what do you say? Are you up to it?" Jasper asked. I nodded uncertainly.

"Alright. How about after you have some lunch, then?" I nodded again.

"And don't worry, Bella. We'll both be there with you," Emmett said. This slightly reassured me, but only slightly.

"Alright, then. How about you get some pants on, and clean up a bit, before joining us out on the deck," Jasper said, and I blushed bright red. I hadn't remembered that I didn't have pants on up until that moment.

I nodded, and Jasper set me on the bed. He and Emmett threw me a smile before walking out of the cabin, shutting the door behind them.

I took a deep breath and stood up. I threw the wadded up sheets back on to the bed and picked the trousers up off of the floor, putting them on.

After tying a belt around my waist, I ran the brush through my hair. It was tangled up from my horrid night, and took a while to yank through.

When I was done, I picked up the piece of cloth that I had ripped off of my original shirt and got it wet with some of the water from the canteen. I wipped all of the sweat and tears off of my face and laid the cloth over my eyes, trying to take away some of the redness that crying for an hour had caused.

After a final check in the mirror, I walked out of the cabin and immediately went over to where Emmett and Jasper were quietly talking, keeping my eyes downcast and ignoring anything anyone said to me.

When I got to them, Emmett put an arm around my shoulder and Jasper addressed me.

"I've arranged for you to meet with the Captain in an hour. Until then, I suggest you find something to eat. You must be hungry." I nodded, and Emmett began to lead to the door that went below deck when I remembered something.

My question.

After I had agreed to talk to the Captain last night, I was so nervous that I completely forgot about how I was going to ask Emmett about the food thing.

I stopped, and Emmett jerked to a stop besides me, giving me a puzzling look.

I turned to him, and asked, "Emmett, why don't I see any of your crew mates or you eat anything? You always bring me breakfast, but I never see you eat anything yourself. The food room never looks any more empty than what I eat."

He looked shocked, and began to stumble for words.

Jasper came to his rescue. Apparently he had over heard the question.

"Of course we eat. We just do it really early in the day, and really late, after you're asleep. We've trained our bodies so that we're on a schedrule. We wake up really early, eat, work, eat, and then go to sleep," Jasper said. Emmett looked relieved and just nodded.

"Mmmm..." was my reply. "Then why don't any of you carry around canteens?"

"Because we've also trained our bodies not to need much water," Jasper said with a shrug. Emmett was still nodding stupidly.

How did they expect me to believe that? Every human being needed lots of water to survive, especially when they were working all day in the hot sun. I didn't push the subject, though. I just gave Jasper an unbelieving glance before turning around and heading to the food room. Even if they didn't need much food, I did. I was hungry. I grabbed a banana, mango, and orange from the fruit pile, and a small stack of stale crackers.

I sat on the step and ate them, and only then realized that I had just been speaking to Emmett and Jasper in front of the other crew members. It seemed as though none of them had been paying attention, though, because they were all talking loudly with one another and laughing. Oh well, they'd all find out soon anyway.

As soon as I was finished eating, I headed back up on to the main deck. Jasper and Emmett were waiting for me, and I guessed that it was time. I joined them, and Jasper led the way to the cabin I had been sleeping in. He knocked, and I heard a faint "enter." Emmett put his hand on my shoulder.

As Jasper pushed the door open, I took a deep breath and walked into the cabin.

**A/N: k decent i thought, but... its not my perspective that counts, sooo..... how about u guys? wadja think? what do u think will happen next? wat will edward do and/or say? i luv to hear the guesses, and ill update soon!!! i luv reviews and reviewers!!! plzplzplz review and tell me if it was absolutely horrid!!!!!!!**

**~Maddy Rose**


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N: thx so much for all of the reviews!!!!!!!! i luv them!!!!!!!!! *squeals* hey if anyone's bored they can check out Setting Sun, a great reviewer wrote it and its awesome! justrememberhe prefersbrunets wrote it, if u wanna take a look im sure shed be really happy!!! so would i!!! ive read what's up so far, and its great!!**

**plz dont kill me if u dont like it!**

**disclaimer: stupid copyright... must i say more?**

As Jasper pushed the door open, I took a deep breath and walked into the cabin.

Captain Edward was sitting at the wooden desk, and what surprised me was that he was reading a book.

When Emmett closed the door behind us, however, Captain Edward put a bit of scrap paper in the book and shut it, standing up and spinning to face us. He looked at me.

"Well, Jasper told me that you wanted to tell me something, but I haven't heard you say a single word since you came on to this ship. What is it?" he asked, and I gulped. Emmett squeezed my shoulder and Jasper threw me an encouraging glance. I took a deep breath and looked Captain Edward in the eyes. He looked curious, and a bit puzzled.

"Captain Edward, I've been keeping something from you," I said, and when he heard my voice he looked a bit angry.

"Why didn't you tell me?" he asked. I looked at my feet. He had obviously figured that I was a girl by my voice, which was rather high-pitched due to fear. "Now what am I to do with you?! They won't accept you into a crew!" His voice was harsh.

"I'm sorry," I whispered and looked up. He still looked mad.

"And you should be! Do you realize that I have nothing to do with you?! Why were you on the _Gold Night_ in the first place, unless you were disguised then, too," his snapped.

I closed my eyes, urging myself not to cry. Why had I been on the _Gold Night_? Because I was a princess, visiting relatives over sea, and I was returning home when pirates killed my friend and destroyed my life, but I couldn't tell him that.

"Why didn't you tell us in the beginning?" he growled again.

I didn't quite know that myself, so I just answered as best I could.

"I-I was afraid," I whispered, and I felt the tears well up. I tried not to let them spill over, but they did anyway.

After an uncomfortable silence, Captain Edward spoke again.

"And I take it you two knew about this?" he said, speaking to Jasper and Emmett, who had been silently watching our exchange of words. Nervously, they both nodded, and Jasper answered.

"We only just found out the day on the island, though."

"Well, why didn't either of you tell me?" Captain Edward asked.

"We thought that we'd let her decide when to, or if to," Jasper replied. Captain Edward glared at them both, and Emmett spoke.

"Dude, it's what you would've done, too," he said with a small grin. Captain Edward glared at him.

"It's not their fault," I said, and his eyes turned to me.

"No, you're right. It's not their fault," he agreed, but his eyes still held anger, and his fists were bunched up. His brow was furrowed, and he looked to be still taking in what I had just revealed.

"Well, if that secret's blown, you might as well tell us your name," he said. Jasper and Emmett already knew my name, but I would tell him myself.

"Bella," I said. Captain Edward instantly looked wary.

"Bella? Would that possibly be short for Isabella?" he asked, and I nodded.

"_Princess _Isabella?" he growled. I was shocked. How had he guessed? I nodded nervously, and the next thing I know, my back was against a wall and a cold hand was wrapped around my throat, cutting off my air supply.

"Damn it! Do you know what this means? Damn it!" he said as I struggled against his strength, gasping for air.

"The whole damn royal navy could be after our ship if they ever find out that we have you!" he said, cursing more.

Blackness was beginning to creep into my vision. My lungs burned for oxygen, but Captain Edward's hand continued to cut off my airway.

All of the sudden I could feel air enter my lungs, and I gasped. Once I stopped feeling light headed, and my vision had been restored, I looked up to see Jasper and Emmett holding a very mad looking Captain Edward back. Emmett was smacking his face.

"What the hell are you thinking?! You can't kill her!" Emmett yelled into his face. I was appalled. Emmett was yelling and hitting his Captain, but Captain Edward was taking it. He still had a snarl on his face, and was glaring at me, but didn't struggle against his crew members.

I sat there, crying, until Jasper and Emmett had calmed down Captain Edward enough to let go. Emmett stood some what between the Captain and me, and Jasper came over to comfort me. He sat down next to me and pulled me close. Emmett looked like he wanted to help me, too, but he also looked wary that his Captain would maul me again.

After about ten minutes, Captain Edward glared at me and growled, "You three may leave now. I need to think about what to do."

Jasper stood up and Emmett held a hand out for me. I took it, and he gently pulled me up.

I walked past Captain Edward carefully, staying as far away from him as possible until we got out onto the main deck.

When I looked up, I saw eyes staring at us from everywhere. They had probably heard Captain Edward and Emmett's yelling, and could see the tears that continued to stream from my red eyes.

Emmett immediately began shooing them away, and they both led me up to the steering deck. It was almost completely empty up there, and Jasper took over for the pirate steering so that we were alone.

I could feel the salty wind whip around my face up here, and soon my sobs slowed to silent tears. Emmett had an arm around my shoulder, and Jasper was looking out into the waves.

"Why didn't you tell us?" Emmett said, breaking the silence after about fifteen minutes.

"What?" I asked, though I knew perfectly well what.

"That you were Princess Isabella?" Emmett specified.

"Oh..." I said, and thought a moment. I was aware that Jasper was listening too, and I chose my words carefully.

"I didn't know what you would say, and I never thought that my being me would pose a threat," I whispered, but I knew that they both heard me.

When no one said anything, I got worried.

"Do you two hate me now?" I asked, a bit nervous about their reactions.

"Of course not!" they both said, and then Emmett added, "Now why the hell would we?! Just because your royalty?!"

"I...I don't know. Maybe because because of me you could both be destroyed, along with the whole ship and its crew," I said in a sour voice.

They looked at each other before cracking up.

"That could never happen!" Jasper said between laughs, and Emmett nodded while holding his sides.

"What?! I was serious!" I said.

They just shook their heads while laughing.

"Hmph..." I grunted, not finding it funny at all.

When they were finished, Emmett said, "Hey Jasper, looks like we hurt the Princess' feelings! She'll behead us for sure!"

With that, they looked at each other again, and cracked up.

"Stop it!" I said, looking at them laugh. "I would never do that!"

I stopped when another man came up and took the steering over for Jasper, but they just continued to laugh.

Jasper came over to where we were standing, and put a hand on my shoulder, trying to steady himself.

"We know," he said when he finally got control. Emmett, on the other hand, wouldn't shut the hell up.

"Guess this means that you can't laugh at her anymore, Emmett," Jasper said, and Emmett was silent.

"Jas-PER!" I whispered, looking over at the man steering. He was listening very intently to our conversation, and had most likely heard Jasper say "her".

When Jasper realized his mistake, he looked at the man, too, and said, "Not a word." The man quickly nodded.

Chuckling, Emmett turned to me.

"Come on. The princess needs dinner," he said, and he and Jasper led me down from the steering deck and through the curious eyes to get some food "for the princess".

**A/N: sry, not much of an ending. so... yay or ney? plzplzplz review!!!!!!! i wanna know wat u all think!! can we try for about 8 reviews plz? thx to all those who review each chapter!!!!!!!!! luv u all!!!!!!! again, plz plzzzz dont kill me if u hate it!!!**

**~Maddy Rose**


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N: thx so much 4 all of the reviews!!!!! yay!!!! they make my day (and make me wanna type more :D)!!!!!!!**

**disclaimer: i own my ipod. and my copy of twilight. i do not, however, own the original twilight, or the original plot. i do, though, own my own plot, and the nintindo ds that ran away from me somewhere in kentucky... :|**

I woke up the next morning, looking into a pair of dark gold eyes, and jerked up. When I was fully conscious, I saw Emmett standing next to me with a huge smile on his face, and a piece of white cloth draped over his forearm. In his hand was a tray that had a glass of water, about five pieces of fruit, and a chunk of bread on it. His shirt was tucked in.

Great.

"I brought you breakfast, your highness," he said with a slight bow. I glared at him. He had been doing this "servant" act ever since yesterday, after I had eaten dinner. I had gone along with it at first, just to humor him, but it soon got to be obnoxious.

"Great. Now give it here, and leave," I growled, taking the tray from him. He pretended to look hurt, but then left with a stupid smile plastered across his face.

I ate what Emmett brought me, then stood up and stretched. I pulled on some pants, then brushed out my hair. I had been on this ship for a week now, and had started a morning routine.

After I finished wiping my face off, I tied a belt around my waist and headed out on to the deck.

As soon as I closed the door behind me, I turned around to see all of the pirates staring at me. Great. I guessed that Captain Edward had informed them that I had been lying to them after I had gone to sleep last night. I also guessed that he had told them who I was, because I few of them stood when I passed by, and they all stopped whatever they were doing.

I tried not to meet any eyes as I quickly strode over to Emmett and Jasper, who were both watching with amused expressions.

I was glad to see that Emmett had untucked his shirt and quit playing servant.

When I was sure that all of the pirates had gone back to work, Jasper and Emmett confirmed my assumption.

"After you went to bed last night, Captain Edward told them all that you were a girl," Jasper said.

"And not just any girl, according to him, but Princess Isabella herself," Emmett added.

"Did he still seem mad?" I asked timidly. When neither of them answered, I knew the answer. What was he going to do with me?

I walked around with Jasper and Emmett like usual, but today I spoke to them. The other pirates continued to annoy me, but I started to feel more powerful for some reason. Maybe it was because the pirates seemed to be slightly intimidated by me, and made sure not to get on my bad side.

When the sun was directly overhead (I didn't have a source of real time), it started to grow unbearably hot on the deck. Even up on the steering deck with Jasper, where the salty wind would normally cool you down, I found myself sweating, but when I looked at Jasper, he wasn't sweating. In fact, he didn't even look as though he felt the heat.

When I noticed this, I looked on the main deck, and saw the same thing with every single one of the other pirates. They continued with their labors, but not a drop of sweat appeared on any of them. What the crap? Here I was, dripping like a dog, when they didn't even seem to be effected by the heat.

I walked over to the front of the ship and felt the wind whip my hair around my face. The salty taste that the wind brought made my throat burn, and I reached down to my belt for my canteen, but it was empty.

I went down to the main deck and through the staring eyes, racing down the stairs to the food room. I filled my canteen and gulped the water down. I refilled it and then went back up on to the deck.

I decided to find Emmett. I didn't see him in the crowd of the crew, but knew he was here somewhere. As I made my way towards the back of the ship, looking for Emmett, I felt two cold hands cover my eyes. Emmett.

"Guess who?" his gruff, happy voice said, and a spun around to see him with the grin that I knew only too well on his face. Of course it was; it rarely wasn't.

"So what's up?" he asked, slinging a cold arm over my shoulder.

Wait. Cold arm. What the hell?! It was at least 90 degrees out! Then I remember how cold his hands had been, too, when he covered my eyes.

"Normally you're with Jasper around this time of d-" he started, but I cut him off. I wanted to see about something.

"Follow me," I told him, ducking under his arm and running up to the steering deck, where I purposely tripped just so that I could fall into Jasper's cold arms. Cold arms. I was right. It must be something with the whole crew.

"What's up?" Jasper asked, and I stood up, looking over to see that Emmett had done as I asked and followed me.

"Why are you both so cold?" I asked, catching them both off guard. "It's at least 90 degrees out, and not a single man in this crew is sweating, even though they're working, but here I am, barely doing a thing, and I'm dripping. Why is that? Both of you are freezing cold, too."

They both stared at me for a moment. I was triumphant. This only added to my list of queer things.

First of all, none of the crew ate of drank a thing that I had seen.

Second, it was beginning to seem like they didn't sleep at all. All humans, even if they had trained their bodies otherwise, needed lots of rest, especially if they worked all day. That went for the food and drink thing, too.

Third, they seemed to have great hearing. I could whisper from across the cabin and Jasper and Emmett could always make out exactly what I was saying.

This was fourth on my list, though I knew I had seen lots of other small things that I couldn't place.

When neither of them looked like they were going to answer, I told them all of my list. They just stared at me, dumbfounded.

Afterwards, I started to feel confused again. Why was so much out of place with this crew? I needed to rest, since I was obviously not going to get anything out of my friends.

I turned and walked down to the main deck again, and neither Jasper or Emmett followed. I was glad. I wanted to be alone for a while. I went into the cabin I had been staying in, and closed my eyes as I shut the door, leaning back against the wood.

When I opened my eyes again, my heart skipped a beat, and my breath caught in my throat.

Captain Edward was staring at me with an annoyed look on his face. He had the same book from the day before open in front of him.

"I-I'm sorry. I didn't know that you were i-in here," I stuttered, my heart racing. I turned to leave, but stopped.

"Wait. We need to discuss something," he said, and I turned back around to meet his gaze. He stood up and walked over to me.

"I've been thinking about what to do with you, and I haven't come to a full conclusion yet, but I do know that we will not leave you at the next port, that is for certain, unless you want me to. We are around the Caribbean area, though, so you will be very far from home if you do decide to get off at port." The Caribbean area. That _was_ far from home. At least a month's journey if I were to sail home on another ship.

"Do you want to get off when we arrive at port in a couple days time?" he asked me. I shook my head.

"Alright, then. Tell me if you have any ideas of how we could get you home without the royal navy knowing," he said, and I nodded. "I'll inform you if I make a decision."

I nodded again before turning to leave, but he grabbed my wrist. I gasped. It, too, was icy cold, and rock hard. He dropped my hand immediately.

"I'm sorry about how I reacted yesterday," he said, catching me by surprise. "I shouldn't have let my anger control me, but I am known for my temper. We just can't let the royal navy get to us. It wouldn't just affect us, but many, many more people." I knew that there was a hidden meaning behind that, but I couldn't place it.

We were quiet for a while. I looked at the wall, uncomfortable under his gaze. He seemed to be concentrating very hard on something, but I didn't know what.

I stood there uneasily, barely breathing so as not to break the silence, when the door burst open, practically crushing me into the wall.

"Edward, she's began to notice things. What should we..." Emmett said, trailing off when he noticed me. Jasper walked through the door after him and helped me up from where I was slumped on the ground.

"Damn it, Emmett!" I said as Jasper balanced me. I rubbed my head where it had hit the wall, knowing that a lump would appear there in a days time.

I only began to realize what Emmett had began to tell Captain Edward when the Captain said, "And you didn't realize that she was in here with me, did you?"

"What do you mean, 'began to notice things'?" I mumbled, knowing that he was talking about me.

Emmett and Jasper were speachless again. After a moment of no talking, however, I thought that I saw their mouths moving, but it was too quick to be sure.

"What did you notice?" Captain Edward said, addressing me.

I wasn't sure if I should tell him, but the look he gave me made me almost afraid not to.

"Well, I... none of your crew eats or drinks anything in my presence, and it almost seems like they don't sleep, either. There are no cots on this ship that I know of, and I don't notice any of the food in the storage room disappearing besides what I eat. You're all freezing cold and hard, even in this 90 degree weather." I decided not to tell him about how Jasper and Emmett could hear me so well. That may just be them.

Captain Edward looked surprised, and Jasper and Emmett looked nervous. I knew something was up.

"What are you?" I blurted out. I didn't even know why I said it, it just came out, but it only increased the tension in the air.

"Might as well tell her," Captain Edward said with a sigh. When Emmett had grunted in agreement, and Jasper had nodded, Captain Edward told me something that made my blood run cold.

"Bella, you're on a ship of vampires."

**A/N: plzzzzzzzz review!!!!!! i know the beginning was pretty bad, but i didnt kno wat to say! im sry! but howd u like it? plz tell me how u think bella will react. i need ideas, then ill decide on wat sounds best, but plzzzzzz tell me if u thought this chappie was absolutely horrible, and ask me if u have questions :| plz review!!!! i need to kno!!!!!**

**~maddy rose**


	10. Chapter 10

**A/N: thx so much for the reviews! ah! i luv it! im so happy! eek! im so sry about the not updating yesterday!!! i understand if u hate me now... *sob* but i still luv all of u reviewers, even if u do!**

**disclaimer: ok, this is beginning to get on my nerves. u guys already kno that i dont own twilight, right? well, if u havent figured it out yet, i dont.**

"Bella, you're on a ship of vampires."

I stood there, and it took me a moment to get what he said. When I did, I cracked up. I laughed so hard that I had to lean against the wall for support.

When Captain Edward, Emmett, and Jasper didn't laugh, I stopped (or tried to).

With a smile I said, "Wait... You can't be serious."

They looked at me and nodded slowly. I still didn't fully believe it.

"Bella, what you noticed are all characteristics that we have." I didn't say anything, just looked at them.

"We are cold, fast, strong, and have great hearing," Captain Edward said. "We are immortal, do not sleep, and our skin is hard."

I had already noticed all of these things with Jasper and Emmett, apart from being immortal, but I just couldn't believe it.

I thought about it for a few minutes, and they waited silently. When I accepted that they were, indeed, vampires, I grew slightly afraid.

"So what, I'm just a snack that's being saved for when it's needed?! And I'm guessing that you don't want me to go too far below decks because you're keeping other humans there for food. I can't believe that you would do this!" I screamed, turning to Jasper and Emmett, who looked shocked. "I thought that you two really cared about me!"

With tears welling up in my eyes, I raced out of the room. I didn't know where to go after that. If the whole crew were vampires, they would be everywhere. Now that I knew what they were, they would finish me off so that I wouldn't reveal their secret.

I raced into the room used to store food, and sat down in a corner, sobbing. I truly had thought that Jasper and Emmett were my friends, but it turns out that they had only wanted me for my blood. I envisioned them backing me against a wall and biting into my neck and sucking every drop of blood from me. I gasped. This was too much like my dream! I should have known by the nightmare I had had what they were, when I put all of the clues together, but now it was too late.

I cried harder. How long was I going to last? They'd find me soon, or maybe they'd just let my fear continue to grow until I begged for death.

I sat there for hours, crying until I felt my eyes begin to close. I allowed them to, wanting to get away from all of the fear and sorrow, but mostly the feeling of being betrayed. I was still crying when I fell into darkness.

***

When I awoke, my eyes burned. I sat up, looking around.

I was still in the room where the food was stored, and I didn't know why.

Then I remembered why I had come down here, and all of the pain and fear returned. I began to cry, yet again.

When I had calmed down enough to stand, I did so. At first I was dizzy, but I made my way to the foot of the steps through my tears.

I knew that I couldn't stay down here forever. I wouldn't beg for death, but I wouldn't let fear and pain take over my mind, either.

I trudged up the stairs to meet my fate, not even attempting to stop crying, or even to slow the tears down.

I walked out on to the main deck, and felt panic when I saw that the whole crew looked up at my arrival.

It was nighttime, probably closer to morning, but the moon shown down on the ship, making it look eerie.

I was frozen, and freaked out when I saw Jasper walking slowly toward me, Emmett close behind him.

Damn it, this was the end. They were going to drain me dry. I forgot to breathe, and the tears stopped. I was too afraid to cry.

As Jasper neared me, I saw him staring into my eyes. I met his, then Emmett's. I didn't detect anything but wariness.

Jasper came face to face with me, and I was really surprised when he wrapped his arms around me in a hug. After a moment of standing there like that, I realized that he wasn't going to hurt me, and I broke down.

I cried, harder than before. Harder than I'd ever remember crying. Jasper squeezed me gently, then broke out of the embrace. Emmett took his place, and soon he picked me up in his arms. I grabbed a fistful of his shirt and pressed my face into his huge chest, sobbing hysterically.

How had I even doubted them? I felt terrible now. Emmett and Jasper had done nothing at all against me the whole time I had been on this ship, and I had automatically assumed that they were going to kill me when I found out what they were. I was ashamed of myself.

Emmett carried me into Captain Edward's cabin, and to my relief, he wasn't there. Jasper followed, shutting the door behind him.

After Emmett laid me down on the bed, he and Jasper sat down on either side of me.

"I-I'm so s-s-sorry!" I apologized.

"What the hell for?" Emmett asked, looking at me.

"I- I can't b-believe that I d-doubted either of you," I said through tears.

Jasper pulled me close to him, and said, "What were you supposed to do? You were terrified."

"B-but I-"

"No. We know, you thought that we were going to suck you dry. Well, we're not going to hurt you. You're our new little sister," Emmett said, and I was shocked. Sister? What the hell did he mean by that?!

"W-what?" I asked, still crying.

"We think of you as our sister. We're not going to hurt you, or let anyone else," Jasper said, still hugging me.

Awww! They thought of me like a sister! I hugged them both.

After I had stopped sobbing, Emmett spoke.

"About earlier. You said something like, we don't want you to go too far below decks because we had people there, just for us to eat."

I looked at him with a "Well, do you?" look, and he laughed.

"No, we don't. We don't even drink human blood," he said, chuckling.

"But then how-" I started.

"We survive off of animal blood. The whole crew does. That's why we went into the island that time and had you stay behind on the beach. That's also why our eyes are golden. Vampires who drink human blood have red eyes," Jasper said.

I looked at both of their eyes. Yep, golden.

"We have to stop at islands about once a week, or a bit more, to satisfy our thirst. That's why we sail around in areas that have lots of small islands," Jasper continued.

"So... I'm not-" I began.

"-just a snack that the crew was saving for later? No," Emmett said, laughing. I didn't find it funny at all, but even Jasper smiled.

"Well, I was going to say, so I'm not in danger of... you know?" I asked, and this time Jasper joined Emmett's laughter.

"No. Not unless we get _really, really _thirsty. We've been around for hundreds of years, and the only way that Edward lets a vampire on this ship is if they can prove that they won't go crazy at any small sign of blood. What would we do during raids?" Jasper said. Emmett was still laughing. "I used to be one of the worst at our diet, but eventually I was able to handle it."

I understood what he said, except for one thing.

"Why do you two call the Captain by his first name?" I asked, and Emmett answered this time.

"He's our brother!"

"W...What?!" I asked, stunned.

Emmett laughed, and Jasper chuckled.

"Well, not by blood, but before we started this ship, we used to live and travel together, going to highschool and college. We stayed with two other vampires, Carlisle and Esme, who pretended to be our parents. We acted like a family of five, known as the Cullens. We were a coven. After a while, however, we got bored and sick of repeating the same classes; going through the same events time after time, so when we happened across a few other vampires who were interested in starting this vampire ship with us, we did. Carlisle and Esme stayed behind, though. They were happy with what they were doing. We haven't seen them since, but soon enough, more and more vampires joined our ship and our ways.

"Even before, we were what Carlisle called "vegetarian vampires". We continued that on this ship. If we didn't, we couldn't live through all of the fights without being discovered. Every pirate on this ship has golden eyes, unless they're thirsty. The thirsier we are, the darker our eyes are, and we're also more grumpy.

"So that's our story," Jasper said, finishing. Emmett had quit laughing, and was nodding at what Jasper had told me.

I sat there contemplating what was said.

"Wow. So you three must be really old," I ended up saying. They both laughed.

"Yep. I was turned in 1863," Jasper said. Wow. He was old. "I'm the oldest, though. Emmett here was turned in 1935, and Edward was turned in 1918."

"So you three are over six hundred years old," I said in awe.

"Yep!" Emmett said, liking the look on my face. "I'm technically only twenty, though."

"So am I, technically. Edward's only seventeen though, technically," Jasper added.

"So... you're all Cullens, though?" I asked.

"Before I was turned, I was Emmett McCartny. Jasper here was Major Whitlock, though," Emmett said with a salute to Jasper. I laughed a bit, and Jasper frowned. "Edward was a Masen."

Emmett and I continued to laugh lightly, and soon Jasper did too.

"Why were you 'Major Whitlock'?" I asked Jasper after the laughing had subsided.

"Well, when I was seventeen..."

The stories continued into the night, until the sun rose above the waves.

**A/N: I'm sooooo sorry that I didn't update yesterday. it was my first day outa the house in about a week. i'm so sorry! plz dont hate me! plz review if u liked/didn't like. sry if u didn't like bella's reaction. but this chappie explains some stuff, sooooo... plz review! can we try for 8 again? last time we made it, and it made me so happy. i dont wanna stress ppl to review though, so if u dont wanna, then dont, but plz do! thx so much!**

**~maddy rose**


	11. Chapter 11

**A/N: so yea, im really sry that there's not been much edward so far... im gonna try and make that better this chappie though!!! yay! thx so much reviewers!!! it makes me so happy!!!**

**disclaimer: i don't own twilight**

I opened my eyes to see sunlight coming in through the cracks in the wall. I had been napping after staying up all night with Emmett and Jasper. It must be midafternoon by now.

I sat up when I heard the door to the cabin open, thinking that it would be Emmett or Jasper, but I was a bit surprised to see Captain Edward come and sit on the foot of the bed.

"How are you?" he asked, and I knew he was really asking "how are you taking the news that you're on a ship full of bloodsucking vampires?".

I shrugged.

"You seem to be taking it well, Emmett and Jasper told me."

Well, yeah. After they told me that I wasn't lunch, that is. Otherwise I'm dandy, but I settled for saying, "Yeah, well, they told me about your diet, and the requirments for this ship, and then I was fine."

"Good. Glad to hear it," he said, a look of concentration on his face. "Did they tell you about our lives before being pirates?" I nodded. When he continued to stare at me, I began to feel irratated.

"What!?" I asked, annoyed.

"Well, I can't read you're mind," Captain Edward said. Okay, now I was really confused.

"What?!" I asked again.

"Didn't my brothers tell you?" I shook my head, eyes wide. What the hell was he talking about?

"Well, some vampires have special abilities. Emmett's extra strong, even for a vampire, and Jasper can control emotions and tell what people are feeling. Sometimes other's emotions can effect him. I, on the other hand, can read minds. That is, every mind but yours," Captain Edward said.

"So what? I'm mad?!" I asked. He just laughed.

"No, no. You just... I don't quite know how to explain it, but I just can't read your mind. My mind reading and Jasper's emotion reading saved you. If Jasper hadn't told me how complex your emotions were when I was about to... er... kill you... then I would've... killed you," he said.

Thank goodness. If he could read my mind, I might be in trouble.

"So... That's how Jasper saved me?" I asked.

"Yes, he said something along the lines of 'his emotions are odd for a teenage boy. Normally there isn't such a wide range. Fear, pain, hopelessness, loss, and anxiety' were some of the few emotions that were running through his mind. I was confused, as was he, so I brought you on to my ship," he replied.

We sat there in compainionable silence, but when he didn't say anything after about an hour, I asked, "Captain?"

He laughed. "Please, Isabella, just Edward. Only the crew calls me Captain, other then Jasper and Emmett."

"Alright then, Edward, but you can't call me Isabella. It's too formal. Bella will do," I said, and he chuckled.

"Okay then, Bella, I didn't just come in here to ask how you were. I also came in here to tell you that we will be reaching port soon, by moonhigh, at least, and-"

He was cut off by a yell outside the cabin.

In a second, we were both standing.

"Stay here," he firmly instructed, and before I could even nod, I was alone.

I didn't know what was going on, but I pulled some pants on and tied my hair up quickly anyway.

Right after I had done that, the door opened, and I saw Capt- Edward, come back in.

"We're being attacked," he said. I stared at him. Had my parents found out where I was? Edward seemed to be thinking the same thing, because he said, "Now, unless you're country speaks a lot of a different language, this has nothing to do with you, most likely."

I shook my head. We spoke English.

"Alright, then I have no idea who's attacking, but we'll have to finish them all off quickly. We can't let any of our men get hit with a deathly blow, because then they'll know something's up. That's vital." With that, I was alone again.

Hmph. I wasn't going to miss out on the fight! I ran to the door and heard the yells of battle on the other side of the wood. I opened the door a crack to see a fallen soldier lying right in front of the door. Though I was disgusted, I ran out of the cabin and picked up the sword that he had been carrying.

As soon as I had the sword, I heard footsteps running at me. I looked up, and swung my sword to meet my attacker. Our weapons hit in midair, and I pushed against his sword. I remembered what I had been taught in self defence, and swung at him again, matching my footsteps with his. I looked into his eyes, and the moment that they left mine, I hit him in the head with the flat side of my sword, knocking him unconscious.

I repeated this with four more soldiers, gaining myself a second sword, until I heard the voice of one of the pirates. I turned around and saw that only a few feet away, a vampire was unarmed, and a soldier was about to try and stab the pirate with his sword. If that happened, it wouldn't effect the vampire whatsoever, but it would destroy the sword. Then the secret would be blown. The other crew would know something was up, and would leave, telling everyone. Fleets of ships would come after this ship of vampires, and soon enough someone would figure it out.

All of this went through my head in less than a second. Without giving it a second thought, I jumped in between the two, stopping the attack. The soldier's sword skimmed my arm, and I felt searing pain. I ignored this and threw one of my swords to the vampire, who quickly stabbed it through the soldier. I looked away as the body fell onto the deck with a thud, then looked at the pirate, who stared back.

"You should be in the cabin, Princess," he said. I shook my head, trying to ignore the pain in my arm. Before the vampire could protest, I ran over to where a soldier was sneaking up on a duel. I easily stuck my sword through him, guilt pricking me, but I had to help somehow.

When the soldier fell, the vampire that was being snuck up on spun around to face me, and I meet Edward's eyes. They were full of surprise and alarm. Before he could speak, he seemed to remember that he had been dueling someone, and spun around again to finish the unlucky soldier off.

"What are you-" he was cut off as two soldiers leaped at us, sword pointing at our hearts. Before they could cabob us, however, our swords met theirs. We fought side by side, and tricked them. At the last second, we switched places, stunning the soldiers. We quickly finished them off, and before Edward could say anything, I spun around in search of another soldier to beat the crap out of.

Before I could, however, I heard a cry of defeat and looked up at the steering deck to see Edward standing triumphantly over the body of the other ship's Captain. He had just won us the battle.

Everything happened so quickly after that.

My shoulder exploded in pain, a flash of silver and red appeared in my vision, and I saw a look of horror on Edward's face.

The deck rose up to meet my face, and then there was nothing.

**A/N: yea, i know, short chappie, but hey! im on chapter 11 already! ill try and update soon, and itll be sooner with reviews!!! even just two words help. thx so much to all of my reviewers!!! i luv u all!!! tell me if u want more of edward, if u do, so i kno wat to type. thx so much!!! plz review!!!**

**i have the next chappie typed already, and its the most important one so far, with a few twists, so..... if u want it up faster, plz review!!!!!!!!!!**

**~Maddy Rose**


	12. Chapter 12

**A/N: im so sad. school starts tues. for me.... *sob***

**ok. this chappie is kinda short, but soooooooo important, and id really really appriciate feedback since its such a big chappie for the outcome of the story!!!**

**thx so much reviewers!!! i luv u all, along with the hits and alerts!!!!!!!**

**disclaimer: same as always. me no own twilight. *cry***

"Her breathing's getting faster!"

"She must be gaining consciousness."

I heard voices around me, but I couldn't feel anything or open my eyes. Where was I? What the hell had happened? The memories slowly returned as I remained motionless, and the last thing that I remembered was the searing pain.

Suddenly the pain wasn't a memory; it was reality. My eyes jerked open and I let out a short scream, my hand flying to my shoulder. Before it could get there, however, a blurry figure stopped it. My eyes filled with tears. I felt as if my shoulder had been torn to pieces, and the opposite arm was tingling painfully.

I heard comforting whispers and something ice cold was gently pressed against my shoulder, numbing it some.

As my vision came into focus, I reconized some familiar faces and some faces I reconized, but didn't know.

My eyes flitted from Edward, who was gently squeezing my hand, to Emmett, who had a hand on my right shoulder, and then to Jasper, who looked as if he were in pain. He must be feeling mine, and taking some of it too.

There were also a two of the pirates. They stood off a bit, and watched on.

"Bella? Bella, can you hear us?" Edward asked.

I tried to speak, but couldn't. I nodded instead, and they all looked relieved.

I tried to speak again as the tears poured. "My-shoulder! Hurts!" I gasped, and Edward squeezed my hand a bit more. I squeezed it back some, trying to get rid of the pain.

"Well, you took quite a blow," Jasper winced. I looked at them questioningly.

"Before everyone was aware of our victory, some stupid, crappy soldier stuck his sword into you," Emmett said. Then, with satisfaction, he added, "I beat the bloody crap out of him and fed him to the sharks."

I smiled a bit at this. Emmett could always make me smile.

"We're at port now. We're going to find a doctor for you," Edward said, and I nodded.

With that, I was scooped up gently in his arms, and Emmett held my shoulder still. They brought me out on to the deck, and Edward nodded at the two pirates that had been in the cabin with us. The two of them began giving out orders as my friends brought me off of the ship and on to the ground.

"We're going to ask around to see where a doctor is," Jasper said, and he and Emmett went of into the crowd of people while I lay comfortably in Edward's arms. Now that Emmett's hand was off of my shoulder, and Jasper wasn't taking some of the pain away, my shoulder hurt even worse. The tears were still falling, and I was aware of people staring as they walked past.

"Everything will be alright. Why couldn't you have just stayed in the cabin like I told you?" Edward asked.

"Too worried, and bored..." I whimpered.

Before he could say anything more, Jasper and Emmett appeared at our side. I instantly felt less pain.

"We have directions to the nearest doctor," Jasper said.

"Lead us there," Edward said.

With that, we were off. I was still in Edward's arms, and we were following Jasper, weaving in and out of the crowd. Emmett was behind us.

We suddenly stopped, and I looked up at a door. Emmett soon pushed that door opened, and led the way inside.

As Jasper checked us in, I looked around. There were family members of patient's sitting on furniture, looking worried, and little kids, playing with their toys, unaware of what was happening to their families, most likely.

We were brought to a room once signed in. I was set on a small bed, and Edward, Jasper, and Emmett stood around me. Edward was still holding on to my hand, Emmett still had his pressed against my shoulder, Jasper seemed to still be taking some of the pain, and the tears continued to fall from my eyes.

"The doctor will see to you shortly," the attendant said before leaving, shutting the door behind her.

When she was gone, I said, "What about the crew?"

"I put two of the pirates in charge while we're gone. I don't know how long we'll be, but they'll keep the ship safe and in order while we're gone. Now, I have a question for you," Edward said, meeting my teary eyes. I was suddenly afraid of what he was about to ask. He looked very serious.

"Bella, we are at port now. You don't have to leave with us, but you may if you want to. What would you like to do after the doctor checks you out?" Edward asked, not breaking eye contact with me. I felt the gazes of Emmett and Jasper fall upon me, too. I didn't need to think about it too hard, I knew what I wanted, I had just not considered it before this point.

I had friends at home, and parents who cared for me, but I had never really felt connected with that world. In this world, with my new friends, I felt more wanted and cared for than ever before. I felt _whole_. The pieces of my old life may be in ruins, but I had a chance at a new life here. I made up my mind at what my fate would be. I wouldn't be able to stand being away from Edward, Emmett, and Jasper. They made me feel... _right_.

"If it's alright with you, I want to stay with you. I don't want to go home," I said, and Edward seemed to breathe out in relief. A huge smile broke out on Jasper's face, and Emmett started to laugh for some reason.

"You belong with us," Edward said, embracing me. At first I was surprised, but then again it felt right. Jasper and Emmett were next. I hugged them both.

"Am I interupting anything here?"

We all four turned to face the door, where a man I took to be the doctor stood. He was blonde, and looked young. He also had a huge smile. I looked up at my friends to see the same giant smile across all of their faces. After a moment, all three of them broke out laughing and ran forward, wrapping their arms around the doctor and laughing. What was I missing?

Then they all turned to me, still smiling, and Edward spoke.

"Bella, meet Dr. Carlisle Cullen, our long-lost father."

**A/N: told u he would turn up somewhere!!! hehehe tell me if u like carlisle here or watever u think. sry, short chappie, but its a good stopping point... luv u all reviewers!!! plz review!!! id really like to know wat u think of carlisle!!!**

**so now u know bella's decision *sigh of relief* plz tell me wat u think of it! i think that this is the chappie that i need reviews for more than any before, cuz i wanna know wat u think. wat u think could affect the whole story, so plz plz tell me!!! this chappie's shortish but very important, so... plz give me feedback!!!**

**~maddy rose**


	13. Chapter 13

**A/N: k theres been some confusion with more then one peoples, so im gonna explain it. otherwise, after this chappie ur minds will be in turmoil. its about the time this takes place. this story takes place far enough in the future that time kinda went back, but still stayed. the country kinda effects this too, but only some. soooo... there r pirates and stuff, and some old style stuff, and thats sorta how the future "went back in time" (oxymoron, i kno) but things also kinda stayed the same. ull see tvs and stuff in this chappie, so u should get wat i mean more after this a/n and chappie, but if u have any questions at all, FEEL FREE TO ASK ME PLZ!!! i dont want anyone confused, and id like to thank the reviewers who brought this up. so thx reviewers!!!**

**k this chappie is longish (3,663 words!!! im so happy!!! yippee!!!), but still only a filler. thx so much to the reviewers who have stuck with me and those who review each chappie!!! along with all of the other wonderous reviewers!!! thx so much!!! i need feedback for it, too... sooo....**

**disclaimer: i dont own twilight... *sigh***

"Bella, meet Dr. Carlisle Cullen, our long-lost father."

I stared at them. They were all still smiling, and Emmett had an arm around the doctor.

"So you must be the patient," Dr. Cullen said, walking to my bed while smiling. Edward, Jasper, and Emmett followed.

I nodded, and he took the cloth off of my shoulder that had been stopping the blood flow.

"May I ask what brings you four here?" Dr. Cullen asked while messing with my shoulder.

I let the three of them tell him the story. They were all talking at once, but Dr. Cullen seemed to get the gist of it.

"So I take it that you know what we are?" he asked when they were done, turning to me.

"Yes," I nodded.

"And you boys are still on that ship of yours, by the sound of it."

They nodded, smiling (still!).

"Well, Bella, you'll need to keep your shoulder clean and covered for the next week or two, and your arm just needs to stay clean," Dr. Cullen said when he had bandaged me up.

"Thank you, Dr. Cullen," I said. My shoulder was feeling better now; he had put something on it that had burned a bit, but now it felt numb.

"Call me Carlisle," he said, and I nodded, smiling.

As Edward helped me stand up, Carlisle turned to us again.

"How long are you planning on staying here, at port?"

Edward, Jasper, and Emmett exchanged a glance (no doubt using their 'powers') and then Edward spoke.

"We'll find a place to stay as long as it takes her to heal enough-that is, if she wants to."

So.... we were staying in port? Wait... it was my choice. It would be nice to get off of the ship for a while.

"Only if it's alright with the... schedrule of the ship and its crew," I said.

"Of course it is," Edward said, chuckling.

"You four are welcome to stay with Esme and I, if you'd like." We looked up when Carlisle spoke. "We don't have enough room for the whole crew, however."

"Are you sure?" Jasper asked.

"Of course," Carlisle anwered, and my friends exchanged glances again.

"I could always tell one of the crew to take the ship to the nearest island. It's been long enough... Then they could return for us," Edward said hesitantly.

"Then it's settled! I'll alert Esme that you'll be staying," Carlisle said.

"So we'll meet you back here around twilight?" Edward asked, and Carlisle nodded.

"Twilight, then," he said, and then stood up with a nod and left.

"I hope that's alright with you, Bella. Esme will welcome you," Edward asked and I nodded. Of course it was. His face lit up suddenly. "She'll be so happy to have someone to take care of," he said.

"Hey, are we going to sit around til twilight, or tell the crew to get outta here?" Emmett said, speaking for the first time in a while. Edward and Jasper nodded.

"Okay then, Bella, it'll be quicker if we carry you," Edward said. He picked me up, careful of my shoulder, and we went back out to the front of the building. The sun was lowering, and I guessed that we had only a couple of hours before meeting up with Carlisle again.

I took us about twenty minutes to reach the docks again. When we neared the ship, Edward turned to Emmett and Jasper, me still in his arms.

"I'll talk to the crew. You two stay here with her."

He handed me off to Emmett, and headed to the ship, which, for the first time, I noticed was called (eerily enough) the _Blood Moon_.

Emmett and Jasper carried me over to where a bench was and sat down, placing me between them.

"How do you like Carlisle, Bella?" Jasper asked me curiously.

"He seems great; really nice," I answered.

"I think that you'll like Esme, too. She was really heartbroken when we left, but she knew how much we wanted to. Hopefully this visit will cheer her up," Jasper said.

"Especially with you here. I think that she got a bit tired of putting up with three eternally young guys and a doctor for a husband, though she loves us all. It'll do her some good to have another girl around," Emmett said, and I wondered how many times he had thrown a football through the window or yelled at the TV during games. I felt rather sorry for Esme, having to put up with him for years. Jasper and Edward couldn't have helped much, either. I smiled at the thought.

We talked for about half and hour, until Edward came back.

When we saw him near us, Jasper picked me up, and I noticed the sky. Twilight.

"Everything's fine on the ship. They're heading back out for a week, then they'll come back for us," Edward said, and we headed back to where Carlisle worked.

He was there, waiting for us by the door. We approached him, and he smiled.

"The ship'll be back in about a week. I hope that's alright," Edward said.

"Perfectly fine. Now I'll lead you home, where Esme is eagerly awaiting our return. She's very excited to meet you, Bella." I was surprised to hear that, but also happy.

We followed Carlisle through the thinning crowds, until we were walking along the shore of the beach, heading the opposite way of the docks.

We stopped in front of a huge white house. It was about four stories high, and very elegant. There were balconies coming off of the second and third floors. It was on the shore, and on a slight hill, about 300 feet away from the waves.

We walked up a short staircase, and Carlisle led us into a large room. I guessed that it was the living room, because it had lots of pastel colored furniture and a large flat-screen TV. Emmett's face lit up when he saw this.

I looked at Jasper, who was still carrying me, and he put me down gently. Right when I left his hands, I saw a blur and felt a gust of air, then looked over to see a beautiful woman hugging Jasper tightly. She had wavy caramel colored hair, and was a average height.

After she had finished hugging Jasper, she turned to Edward and hugged him. When done, she turned her kind topaz eyes to me.

"You must be Bella," she said, hugging me more gently than the others avoiding my shoulder. I hugged her back. I loved her already. There was something about her that made me feel safe and cared for, and I liked it.

When she pulled away, she said, "I heard that you joined my boys on their little pirate ship." She was still smiling, so I knew that she wasn't too disapproving. I nodded.

"They sort of pulled me into it, really," I said.

"What did you three- wait... Emmett! Where are you!" We all looked around.

"Right here, Esme," came Emmett's voice from a couch. I noticed that the TV was turned on to a football game.

He stood up, holding his arms open. In a moment Esme was in them.

"The game! You turned on the game! You obviously haven't changed a bit," she scolded, but with a smile.

"Nope," was Emmett's reply.

"Dear, the boys and Bella were planning on staying the week," Carlisle said, wrapping his arms around his wife.

"That's great! I've missed you three so much! It's so quiet here without you!" Esme said.

"That's what I told Bella you would say," Jasper said.

"Yes, well, it's rather hard to ignore the fact that there's no yelling and no sound of glass breaking. Now let me show Bella to her room. Carlisle can show you boys to yours." With that, she grabbed my hand and led me up a giant staircase.

The staircase led into a white hallway. The hallway had many white doors, but all of them were on the left side. We walked down the bright hallway until we reached the end. Esme turned left, into a spacious room.

The room was amazing. The carpet was white, and the walls were a light blue. There was a large king sized bed that was draped in white comforters and sheets. In the corner of the room was a white door that I guessed led into either a bathroom or a closet. Another door was on the opposite side of the same wall, looking exactly the same. It must be whatever the other wasn't.

Though the room looked wonderful, there was something else that caught my eye. Across from the doorway was a glass sliding door that led out on to a white balcony. From the balcony you could see the waves crashing against the shore, and the sun disappearing beneath those waves in various reds, yellows and pinks. It was a beautiful sight.

"How do you like it?" Esme said, smiling.

I didn't know what to say, so I settled for, "It's absolutely perfect."

She chuckled. "I'm glad that you like it. You don't have any clothes, though, so we'll go shopping tomorrow."

"What! We don't have to! I'm only staying here for a week!" I said.

"Yes, but do you have clothing on the ship?" When I didn't say anything, she nodded. "That's what I thought. Now the bathroom is through that door-" she pointed to the white door closest to us "- and the closet is the other one," she pointed to the other door. "The balcony connects to all of the rooms on this floor. That is, your room, and the boy's rooms. Carlisle and I are upstairs on the third floor, along with his office and the library. The top floor is one huge room, kind of like a lounge. It has windows, but no balcony."

I nodded.

"I'll have dinner ready for you in about half an hour. You must be in need of some real food," she said.

"Thank you," I said, and she hugged me.

"I'm so glad to have you and the boys here. It's been so long, and Edward looked happy downstairs. Come on down when you want. You can take a bath or shower while waiting. I put some pajamas in the bathroom for you. They should fit fine." Esme disappeared before I could ask her what she met by her first statement.

When I realized that I was alone, I decided to do what she advised. I walked into the room that she had said was the bathroom, and shut the door.

The bathroom was like the one I had at my old home. Huge. There was a bathtub large enough for about three people, and two sinks. There was a toilet, and by the tub in a corner was a glass door that led into a shower.

I turned on the water and let the tub fill with steamy water, peeling off the dirty, baggy clothes that I had been loaned on the ship.

Once the tub was full, I slipped into the hot water, letting it undo the knots in my back. It felt so good. I hadn't really had a bath in over a month and a half. I took a deep breath and pulled my head under the surface, letting the water wash the dirt and sweat off of my face and body, and the filthy feeling out of my hair. I came back up in need of air.

I soaked in the tub and scrubbed myself off with a good-smelling soap, and put a fistful of strawberry shampoo in my hair.

When I felt clean and relaxed, I ran my fingers through my hair one last time before standing up and draining the tub.

I looked around for a towel and found one. I picked it up, and to my surprise it felt like the softest thing ever. I had missed what everything felt like back home.

After I was dry, I slipped into the clothes that Esme had laid on the counter. They fit perfectly. A pair of soft silk blue pj bottoms with a light blue cami.

Once dressed I brushed through my hair, feeling so light now that I was clean.

I wasn't sure what to do with the dirty clothes, so I laid them in a pile with the towel. I would ask Esme later.

As I stepped out of the steamy bathroom, I felt the sudden urge to throw myself on the white bed, so I did. I flew on to the poofy comforter, and laid my head back on to the just-as-poofy pillows.

I felt, for the first time in weeks, relaxed and perfectly content.

I looked over to the nightstand to see that a clock read 7:45 pm before looking out the glass door. It was dark out, and you could hear the waves crashing against the shore.

With a sigh, I stood up and walked out of the room and down the hallway. As I was making my way down the staircase, I felt my heel slip, and before I knew it, I was flying down the stairs. Just as I saw the floor near my face (again), I felt a pair of cold arms slip around my waist.

When I was balanced, I looked up into the golden eyes of Edward.

"You should really hold on to the railing," he said with a smile, and I smiled too. I heard Emmett and Jasper laughing from one of the couches.

"Thanks," I said, and he nodded. He linked his arm in mine, which kind of surprised me, and started walking with me.

"You look much better," he noted.

"I feel much better," I agreed.

Edward led me into the kitchen, where I saw Esme set a plate of pasta down. It smelt soooo _good. _I inhaled deeply.

"Feeling better? Esme asked me, and I nodded before sitting down at the table.

"This looks-and smells-delicious!" I told her, and she smiled.

"I hope you like it. I'm not used to cooking," she said before leaving Edward and I alone.

I took a bite and melted. It was simple, but great. Plain pasta smothered in some sort buttery sauce, with cheese crumbled on top of it along with diced tomatos and basil.

I quickly finished this, downing the glass of milk that was on the side. The whole time Edward stared at me with an amused expression on his face.

"What? Never seen a human eat before?" I asked when I was done.

"Yes, of course I have. It's just been a couple hundred years," he said, chuckling.

"Hmph," was my brilliant reply. I didn't care. I felt better now than I had in months.

"Come on. Let's join the others in the living room. I'm sure Esme will love to hear how good her cooking is," Edward said, standing.

I set my dishes in the sink before joining him, and together we walked into the living room where every one was sitting. Carlisle and Esme were curled up together on a recliner, and Emmett and Jasper were yelling at the football game that was playing on the flat screen TV from a couch.

Edward sat down next to his brothers and motioned for me to sit next to him. I carefully sat down between him and Emmett, flinching when Emmett jumped up, cusing at the game. Jasper was doing the same on the other side of him.

"How was the food, Bella?" Esme said, and I answered her, trying to ignore the loud morons next to me.

"It was delicious. I feel great now," I complimented.

"I'm so glad to hear that!" Esme smiled, and Edward shot me an 'I told you so' glance. "It's been so long since I cooked anything. There's just no one to cook for, and-"

"Oh come on! What the hell!? That is so not cool!"

"Damn ref! They so got that touchdown!"

Esme was cut off by Emmett and Jasper's curses, and I couldn't help but smile. They had absolutely no clue that we were in the same room.

"Edward, why don't you take Bella up to bed? It's getting late, and she must be getting tired. It's been a long day," Carlisle said over the shouts, and I realized that it was just this morning that I had waken up screaming in pain. It felt like days ago.

"Alright. Come on, Bella," Edward said, taking my hand and pulling me up. I let him, even though I wasn't quite tired yet.

After quick good nights to Carlisle and Esme, and attempts with Emmett and Jasper, I led the way up the grand staircase, in case I fell again. We made our way to the room I was staying in silently, and Edward shut the door behind us.

"Ready for bed?" he asked.

"Not really... it's just so peaceful up here..." I said.

"Unlike downstairs..." To prove his point, we heard a stream of cusing come up the stairs.

"Very much unlike downstairs," I agreed.

"Would you like to sit out on the balcony?" he asked, and I nodded.

We went out there and sat side by side on a white bench. I was shocked to think that it had only been a couple days ago that I had been frightened of him, and he had been yelling at me. I flinched at the memory, but he didn't notice.

We listened to the waves roll in and out of the shore, and watched as the moon came out from the clouds. It seemed huge over the ocean. Listening to the breeze, we watched as the moon rose above the huge white house until I yawned.

"Come on, let's get you in bed," Edward said, and we stood. I stretched before following him into the room. I left the door to the balcony cracked and crawled under the covers that had been pulled down.

Once comfortable, I turned to Edward and asked, "What are you guys going to be doing all night?"

"Well, Emmett and Jasper will go on and on about the game until about two am, and I'll probably talk with Esme and Carlisle until they calm down. Then they'll probably join the conversation if they've calmed down," he said.

"Oh. Don't tell Carlisle and Esme anything bad about me," I said.

"What could I tell them that was bad about you?" Edward said, and I blushed.

He chuckled at this.

"Good night," he said, and I saw him smile at me once more before slipping out of the room.

I was alone now. I sighed and suddenly felt the day catch up with me. It was 11:47 pm, according to the bedside clock. I felt my eyes close as I faded into the most peaceful sleep in weeks.

**A/N: k, this chappie was kinda a filler, but still... tell me how u liked it plz!!! edwards in it too, soooo... plzplz review!!! u get a cookie if u do!!!**

**~maddy rose**


	14. Chapter 14

**A/N: ughhh school........ hate it!........**

**im so happy that ppl reviewed that last chappie!!! yay!!! i though that it was pretty boring, but it was still part of the story, so............**

**k im debating in my mind if i want somehting (not tellin wat) to happen now or late, in a different part, so hang with me as i toss it around a bit plz!**

**disclaimer: sry dont own twilight only da plot**

I awoke to the sound of waves the next morning. I didn't actually open my eyes for a while, just laid there in the soft, fluffy bed.

When I did open my eyes, I saw that it was almost 8 am. I had slept over eight hours!!! Yippee!!! It's been so long since the last time I have...

I slowly sat up and stretched, looking outside to see the waves crashing against the shore and the seagulls playing on the white beach. Gosh it looked great out.

I walked out on to the balcony and felt the breeze lift my hair off of my shoulders gently.

"Nice out, isn't it?" I jumped a bit at Edward's voice, but turned left to see him walk towards me.

"Great," I replied.

We stood there for a few minutes before "Bella's up!!! Sheesh, it's about time, too!" rang through the air.

I turned to see Emmett slide the door to his bedroom shut before joining us, and a second later Jasper followed.

"What's wrong with your hair? Thought you were going to sleep forever, Bells!" Emmett said. I giggled when he used my childhood name.

"Good morning, Bella." Jasper was more calm with his greeting.

"Morning, Jasper," I said as I yawned.

"Bella."

I turned at my name, but couldn't see where Esme's voice came from.

Emmett pointed up, and I guessed that she was on the balcony above us.

"Yeah?" I answered.

"Your breakfast is ready in the kitchen," Esme told me.

"Thank you!" I called, before turning back into my room.

"We'll see you downstairs," Edward said as I shut the glass door.

I quickly brushed through my hair before heading down stairs. I would change after breakfast.

In the kitchen was a pile of three huge blueberry pancakes. They were piled with butter and fresh fruit, and on the side was a small bottle of blueberry syrup. Sitting by the plate was a tall glass of what looked to be a mango smoothie. Yum.

I sat down and started shoveling food into my mouth.

"I see that you like it." Esme's voice said, and I saw she was standing in the door way.

My mouth was full, so I just nodded eagerly. She laughed as she sat down next to me.

I continued to eat as she spoke.

"Bella, how about we go shopping soon?" Esme asked. I sighed. Better just get it over with.

"Alright," I huffed. She smiled and got up to go.

"Wait... I forgot. I don't have anything to wear-" She cut me off.

"I'll set something out for you," Esme smiled. I smiled back.

"Thanks."

***

"Here, try this on," Esme said, handing me yet another sundress. This was unlike what we had in my country. All of the clothes were so _bright_. After all, this was the Caribbean. Most of the clothes around here were very cheery and fun. They kind of reminded me of what I heard was like Hawaii party clothes.

"Alright," I said, adding the yellow dress to the small pile in my arms. I was extremely glad that Esme wasn't going overboard.

We ended up buying quite a few sundresses, some bermuda shorts, and some pjs. I was going to be on a windy ship quite a bit and I didn't want my dress flying up, thank you very much.

I actually liked the clothes that Esme bought me. It was nice of her, and the clothes were so different than what I was used to. I didn't really want to continue wearing trousers and baggy white shirts anyway. Those were very itchy.

"Thanks so much Esme!" I said, hugging her.

"You're very welcome, now lets get back and enjoy the beach."

***

"Stop it! That's not fair! I don't have super speed and strength like you guys!" I yelled at Edward, Jasper, and Emmett.

"Boys! Play fair!" came Esme's voice from farther up the shore.

After we had gotten back to the huge white house and I had gotten changed into my new dress, the guys and I were finally able to go out on to the beach. My new dress was a bright yellow sundress that was knee length and went around my neck like a halter top. What I liked the most about it though was how light weight it was. I also had on light blue shorts under it, because I knew we were going to be toppling around in the sand.

Now we were acting like kids, splashing water at one another and falling over in the sand. Emmett was now taking advantage of his vampireness.

"Come on Bella! Why don't you go for a swim?" he laughed above the strong wind, grabbing my arms and lifting me up. He pretended to throw me out into the waves, and I screamed.

"No! Emmett, don't!" I laughed.

"What? Don't want to get your hair wet?" Jasper asked. As I struggled (they didn't want to hurt me, so their grip was loose enough), Jasper splashed a bit of water at me, spraying Emmett in the face some. I gasped, laughing.

All of a sudden, I was dropped into the sand. I looked up to see that Edward had Emmett in a headlock, and they were wrestling.

"It's not very fair to team up on her, you know," he smiled as he and Emmett raced super speed up the shore and back before Emmett tackled Edward, sending him face first into the sand.

As I watched them, I was completely unaware of Jasper sneaking up behind me. Being the quiet one, it wasn't too unusual for him to be the one sitting out of the wrestling match.

I squealed as he slipped a cold hand over my mouth and picked me up. I kicked at him, but he still held me as he waded waist deep into the gentle waves.

Comprehension dawned on me when he smiled evily. I screamed into his hand, but Edward was too busy with Emmett to hear me.

Jasper lifted me above the water and took one finger off of the arm holding me up. He wouldn't dare. Another finger.

When he completely let go of me, I screamed, and Edward looked up.

Too late. I was engulfed by the waves.

After my feet hand steadied themselves on the shifting sand, I yanked my head above the surface, only to be brought back down again by a wave.

I gasped for breath when I surfaced again, only to see Jasper and Emmett rolling in the sand with laughter, holding a chuckling Edward down.

I glared. Jasper and Emmett were _so_ gonna get it.

I made my way back to the laughing duo, soaking wet with salt water. When I got out of the waves and on to the sand, they cracked up more.

I walked straight up to them, glaring. When their eyes were shut from laughing, I swung my head around, flinging them with the water that was in my hair. That shut them up. Some.

Now Edward and I were laughing, and they were glaring.

"Crap!" I yelled, smiling, as they both stood up, and I ran over to hide behind Edward.

"Don't you two come another step closer!" I threatened.

"Or you'll what?" a wet Emmett asked.

Before I could answer, Jasper and Edward were now the ones wrestling, and Emmett was tickling me.

"S-Stop!" I begged, gasping for air. "Can't *laugh* breathe *laugh*!"

"Emmett! The human needs air!" Edward yelled after finally stopping the match with Jasper.

"Stupid humans..." Emmett chuckled as he stopped. I didn't have enough air for a good retort. I just gasped.

"Stupid *gasp* Emmy *gasp*!" I said after gaining balance. I knew he hated this name.

"Oh your gonna get it!" Emmett growled, taking a step forward.

"Boys! Calm down some! Bella needs something to eat. It's almost 6." I was saved by Esme, who had disappeared when Carlisle arrived home unnoticed. She was now walking towards us carrying a tray of food. Thank goodness it wasn't piling high. I don't think I could've eaten much after my rounds for oxygen in the past hour.

We set out towels and lay on them while I ate. Carlisle and Esme joined us as the sun started to sink behind the waves.

Once I was done, Carlisle started talking.

"I think that the boys and I should go hunting tonight. Farther east from here is a small forest. It's far from the town, and I don't think that you've hunted in a while. Then, if we finish early, we could go deep sea fishing for Bella around sunrise," he suggested before turning to me. "You wouldn't mind that too terribly, would you Bella? Esme would be here, so you wouldn't be alone if we do go."

"Of course," I said, nodding. "I don't _want_ to be drained, and it'll give me a chance to regain some energy after today. I, unlike _some_, don't have never-ending endurance and can't be drowned time after time again." I glared at Emmett and Jasper.

The vampires chuckled. Stupid beautiful vampires.

"Alright, then," Carlisle said as the others chuckled.

The rest of the evening continued with silly questions and stupid answers as we lay on the beach. When the sun had drifted below the horizon, Esme and I headed back up to the house, hauling all of the stuff with us, after a quick good night to the boys.

Esme and I talked about stuff for a while (nothing in particular) until I yawned. That was when Esme shooed me upstairs.

I was a bit tired, but I had to get this salty feeling off of me before going to bed, so I took a quick shower before heading out on to the balcony. I gazed out at the sea like the night before, but I felt alone tonight. I realized with a weird feeling that it was because Edward wasn't there.

Sighing, I headed back into my temporary room, leaving the door wide open again. I slipped under the covers and slept, my dreams filled with laughter and the sound of the sea.

***

"Bella! Wake up!"

I felt someone shake my shoulders and opened my eyes drowsily to see that Edward was the one shaking them.

"Wha..." I said, still groggy. I looked at the clock. 6:45. What the hell.

"What the hell are you waking me up for this early?" I asked. Then I remembered what he had been doing last night.

"Are you four back already? I thought that Carlisle said you were going fishing."

"We did go fishing, but something happened. Carlisle and my brothers are still out there. I'll tell you once your ready. Get dressed and meet me in the living room," Edward said, and before I could ask questions, he was closing my door.

I snapped awake and ran into the bathroom, brushing quickly through my hair and slipping into a sundress with shorts. I slipped on comfy shoes, feeling that today I would need them.

When done with that, I raced down the stairs, tripping on the last step. Edward caught me. Esme came to our side.

"What's up?" I asked him worrily when he steadied me.

He and Esme looked at me.

"While fishing, we were looking into the water when Carlisle saw something coming up," Edward said, looking at me before continuing.

"When we got close enough, we saw what remained of a ship."

**A/N: k i kno this doesnt seem exciting, but plz guess: wat do u think this ruined ship has to do with the story? its big!!!!!!!!!! plz also tell me how u liked this mostly pointless chappie. im really really sry for another one in a row, but i needed to pass a tad bit of time in the story, but not much! plz plz tell me ur guesses and any questions u have!!! ive got cookies and muffins and poptarts!!! u get one of each if u give me a guess and review, a poptart and muffin if u guess, and a cookie if u review!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! plz!!!!!!! im really sry bout the length but schools back!!!!!! plz forgve me!!!**

**~maddy rose**


	15. Chapter 15

**A/N: eek!!! i so owe u guys for all the reviews and guesses!!!!! YAY!!!!!!! and i will say that there were many guesses, and ill also say... some of them were right.**

**hope u guys luv wat happens in this chappie! yippee!!!**

**disclaimer: i do not own twilight/twilight characters**

"When we got close enough, we saw what remained of a ship."

A ship? Why was this important? Was it the pirate ship? Or one of the royal navy's ships? If so that would mean that a fleet of ships may be following! No crap no! They were close if that was the case! I didn't want them to find me! Nooo!!!!!!

"Is it... what about the ship?" I asked, trying to stay calm.

"Well, what was left of the ship was on fire. I left to return here before we got close enough to read the name, if we could, but I just wanted to warn you. Carlisle, Jasper, and Emmett were in a huge arguement over if they should go check out the burning remains, and I'm not sure if they did or not. They said that they'd call me when they decided," Edward said.

"And...?" I asked, hoping for more.

"They haven't called back yet. I think that I'm going to go back out. I want you and Esme to go into town, just to be safe, in case it is the royal navy. Unless-"

"No! I'm coming with you!" I said, raising my voice above his.

"Bella, I don't want you to get hurt!" he said, and I looked into his light gold eyes. They had a strong emotion swimming in them, but I didn't know quite what it was.

"And I don't want to leave. At least this way I'll know when you do, and if there is another ship that's already here, I'll be safer out in the ocean, with you guys," I pleaded.

"Fine, but just know that this could be endangering your life if we do go out to the ship."

I nodded.

"Alright, then," he said, looking at Esme for the first time in a while. She had been listening silently. "Are you going to join us, Esme?"

"Yes. It's best that we all stay together," she replied.

"Then let's go. I've got the boat I used to come here on the shore."

With that, he scooped me up in his arms and we ran out the door.

***

"Their still where they were when I left!" Edward exclaimed, and my head snapped up to look where he was looking.

"They haven't moved an inch!" he continued.

We were nearing the rather large fishing boat, and I was nervous. What would I do if it was one of my father's ships? I didn't want to endanger the Cullens, whatever I did.

We continued to near the boat/miniship until we were next to it.

"So you return!" I hear Emmett's voice and look up to see him throw a rope down to us.

"Yes, and I see that you haven't made up your mind yet! Still!" Edward yelled, tying us to the fishing vessel.

How the hell were we supposed to get up there?! I wondered. I got my answer shortly.

"Bella, I need you to get on my back and hold on tight," Edward said, standing carefully. I nodded, and latched myself onto his back, wrapping my arms around his neck tightly. I was glad that he didn't actually need to breathe, or he may be dead soon.

To my surprise he pulled us both up the rope, and Esme followed. Stupid vampire strength.

He set me down on the deck, and then the three of us went over to where Carlisle, Jasper, and Emmett were standing.

"Well?" Esme asked.

"What do you think that we should do?" Carlisle asked her, which surprised me greatly. I had thought of Carlisle like the type of guy who gives the orders, like Edward.

"I think that we should let Bella decide, because if there are any ships this close to our home, there must be a reason, and she is most likely going to be the one affected," Esme said, and I was stunned.

"M-Me? I-I don't think that I should decide..." I trailed off.

"Bella, you decide. And you must hurry, or the ship will burn completely. I can tell that you are worrying, I just don't know what about. We won't let them get you, if it is them," Jasper said, sensing my doubts.

"It's not me that I'm worried about," I said, and they looked at me questioningly. "If it is the royal navy, and if they do know where I am, you all will be... well, not in any physical danger, but in other dangers. Dangers of being discovered," I explained.

"Bella, that's not a problem. Now do you or do you not want to go and find out if that ship was sent by your father?" Edward asked.

"I do, but-"

"Alright then! Let's head over towards it!" Emmett said loudly, clapping his hands together to drown me out.

Carlisle seemed to agree with him, because he steered the fishing boat/miniship-I think I'll just call it a fishing vessel like I did before- towards the slowly-burning half of a ship.

We got closer until we could see that it really was about half of a ship, and the flames were low and not very spread out, but it was turning the wood to charcoal. There were patches of fire, and smoke was creating a haze around the remains.

"Wait... Do you guys hear that?" Edward asked the others from besides me.

"I can hear something... I have no clue what it is, though..." Jasper said, trailing off. The other vampires nodded. I knew that I wouldn't be able to hear anything, so I didn't strain myself trying.

Instead I searched for the name of the ship. My eyes scanned the water and what was burning, and I saw part of the name.

'awn' and 'ly' showed, but I couldn't see the rest, or even if it was there.

"You guys. Look," I said, pointing to the lettering. I was surprised that I had seen it before them.

They all looked.

"Do you reconize it, Bella?" Carlisle asked, and I shook my head. I knew that it wasn't one of my father's ships, because he named all of his ships something with the word 'Gold' in it. My ship had been the _Gold Night_.

"It's not one of my father's ships," I stated, and they looked a bit more relaxed. Then, all at once, they tensed again.

"What?!" I asked, annoyed.

"There it was again," Esme murmered, and Emmett and Edward nodded.

"Do you think that we should... check it out?" Jasper asked.

"I... I don't really know. I guess that it couldn't harm any of us, whatever it is," Carlisle replied.

"What is it?" I asked, irratated that I had no idea what they were talking about.

"There's this... noise, I guess. It's too faint for even us to make out," Edward answered.

"Are we going to go on that flaming ship, or what?" Emmett asked, all of the sudden excited. He was just queer that way, I figured.

Edward, Carlisle, and Jasper nodded.

"I'll stay here with Bella," Esme told us.

"Okay," Carlisle said, and he brought the fishing vessel close to the flames. I looked at the four of them, and when I blinked, they were gone.

My eyes went over the the ship, and I saw them carefully walking across the loose, crumbling wood, trying not to fall. Even for graceful vampires, that wood looked really really shifty.

They disappeared into the smoke, and Esme and I stood silently, gazing into the haze after them.

We waited less than a minute before Esme suddenly ran to the railing, and I followed.

"Wh-" I stopped when I heard raised voices. Panic raced into my veins. What the hell was going on on the burning ship? Why hadn't I asked them not to go?

"They're coming! They've found people still living on the ship!" Esme exclaimed, and I knew that my eyes had grown wide.

Before I could respond, I saw figures come into view, and within about ten seconds, the guys were back, carrying three limp smoke covered forms; one was small, a baby I assumed. I couldn't make out anything about the forms, but I knew that they were alive from what Esme had said.

"What should we do?" I asked, running over to them. Carlisle was already on his knees figuring out what was wrong.

"There was a battle. There were bodies on the remains of the ship, and it looked as if the ship was hit with a canon quite a bit, and something caught fire. We couldn't tell how long it's been on fire. Honestly, I think that it could've caught fire _after_ we spotted it, but that's just a possibility," Edward explained.

"It looks as if they've inhaled too much smoke. They're only a bit bloody. All that I have to do is get them breathing again, but I'm not sure if I can, it's so bad. Besides, I can't do much myself. They must keep themselves going," Carlisle said, and I noticed that I could barely see the rise and fall of their chests.

"Was that all?" Esme asked.

"Yes," Emmett answered, taking a cloth and beginning to wipe the soot off of one of them. I could tell now that one of them had long hair. The other's hair was too plastered to their faces for me to tell. I felt bad for the baby. It would be very unlikely for him/her to make it, being as tiny as he/she was.

I knelt by the infant and took another cloth from Emmett, beginning to wipe its face off some.

"Let's get back to the house," Carlisle said about ten minutes later. "These two will make it, but I don't know about the child."

After cleaning their faces, we found that the two that would live were girls. What they were doing on a ship, though, I had no clue. Sure, I had been on a ship, but I had to, and besides, I was a princess. These two sure didn't look like they were.

We nodded, and Jasper began to take us back to the huge white house, leaving the burning ship behind.

***

Once we got back to the house, the two girls' breathing had evened out, but, to my regret, the little one's had gotten much worse.

Esme and I took the girls up to a spare room. Now that they were just unconscious, all that they needed was a place to lay until they woke up. That could take days, or hours, Carlisle had said.

We lay them both gently on the bed before suddenly hearing happy voices coming up the stairs. Why the hell were the guys happy, after all that had happened? I was going out into the hallway to smack them all, though I knew that it would have no effect whatsoever, when I saw Carlisle, Emmett, and Edward come up the stairs and walk down the hallway. Even _Carlisle_ was smiling, though he knew the situation we were in.

"You three-" I was cut off.

"She's going to live," Carlisle said.

"What?! You mean the baby?" I asked as Esme joined us, closing the door to the bedroom behind her.

"Yes."

Yay! They were all going to live! I didn't know why, but I felt very attached to the three that we had found, and strangly, I knew that the others felt it, too.

"Wait.. you said she. How-" I was cut off.

"We checked," Carlisle said. I knew that it was only a baby, so oh well. Whatever, we would have had to find out eventually if she was going to live.

"I'm so glad!" Esme said, hugging her husband. Yep, strange attachments had formed. Queer.

While the four of them talked about what was going to happen now, I went down to the first floor to see Edward sitting on a couch. The baby was lying next to him, looking much more content and peaceful now that she was breathing properly. Now that she was cleaned up, I could guess that she was about seven or eight months old, but still looked very small and frail.

I sat down on the opposite side of Edward, and he turned to me with an expression on his face that I didn't know.

"Are you alright?" I asked.

"Yes, today's just been very hectic, with all that occured. I hadn't been that worried in a long, long time," he said, confusing me a bit.

"What do you mean? Worried that they wouldn't live?" I asked.

"No... I... I was actually worried that the ship would be one of your father's," he answered, looking straight at the wall.

"I'm not going to put you're family in danger, Edward. If it had been, and if it _had_ been posing a threat, I would've gone with him to keep you and your family out of it. Don't worry, I won't let them find out," I said, surprised that he thought I would do anything to betray their trust.

"I wasn't worried about that... well, not in the same way," he said.

"Than what?"

"I.. I was worried that if it was your father's ship, that they would find you, and take you from me." Edward looked into my eyes as he said this, and I met his stare.

I didn't know what to say.

"Bella, you're the best thing that's happened to me for as long as I can remember. I... I hadn't really felt any hope, or happiness, until I started to be around you. It's... different, but I like it. I like _you_."

With his words, realization dawned on me; what I had been feeling the night before on the balcony, and what I felt when I looked at his golden eyes, or his bronze hair, or his perfect face. I cared for him, much more than I had thought.

"Well, that's a good thing, I guess, because I just realized that I like you, too. More than I should. Much more," I said, barely blushing. Somehow these words seemed right, just like being around him did. They were true, also. More true than the fact that water was wet, or that the sun was hot.

He smiled, pulling me closer, and I curled up into his chest. We listened to the little baby breathe in and out, and I could feel the blood pumping through my veins.

We sat like this, and I fell asleep in his arms. My last thoughts were about how this felt so _right._

**A/N: there u go i think that this chappie is actually more important than i thought it was gonna be. i really had no plan for the ending part, but my fingers just glided across the keyboard on their own accord. plz review!!! tell me ur guesses, even though i bet that youve already figured it out, and plz tell me how u like that little unknown twist towards the end!!! ask any questions u have, and ill see if theyre ones i can answer yet!!! plz!!! u get a poptart if u do!!!!!! sry if the burning ship part wasnt the best, i just wasnt on a roll til towards the end, so sry if it sounds outa place. plz plz plz review!!!!!!**

**~maddy rose**


	16. Chapter 16

**A/N: yay!!! im so happy its friday!!! and im just as happy that i got positive feedback on the bella/edward thing!!! yay!!! thx soooooooo much to the reviewers and guessers!!!! (some of the guesses were right, but ull just have to see which ones :D) i was having a bad day this morning and u guys made me smile!!! thx so much!**

**disclaimer: i do not own twilight**

"Bella! Edward!"

My eyes jerked open and I found myself still in Edward's arms. Who the hell was calling our names?! I was in the middle of a very good dream!!!

I looked over my shoulder to see that the baby was missing.

"Wh-"

"Esme and Carlisle came down right after you fell to sleep and set the baby in one of the rooms upstairs," Edward said quietly before I could finish my question.

"Mmnn..." I groaned.

"I see that you're finally awake, Bella. It must have been a great night's sleep in Eddie's arms," came Emmett's voice from the stairs. I turned to see him and Jasper race down them. They were instantly by our side.

"Shut the hell up..." I mumbled, still very groggy and grumpy.

"Well, sorry!" Emmett said. "I just thought that you'd like to know that the two upstairs are awake. Esme and Carlisle wouldn't let us in, though. Esme asked us to ask you if you would go upstairs to help."

I perked up some, but not too much. I got up out of Edward's arms, and headed for the stairs. I was halfway up when I fell backwards, only to be caught in Edward's arms. I think that this was the eighth time that he had caught me of these stairs, but this time he didn't put me down. He carried me up the stairs, and once we were in the hallway he gently set me on my feet and wrapped his arm around my waist. We walked like this to the room the girls were in.

Right when I was about to knock on the door, it opened. Carlisle walked out, only looking briefly surprised that Edward had his arm around me.

"You can help Esme, Bella. Edward, you'll come back down with me," were his instructions. I unwillingly slipped out of Edward's grasp, and looked at him before going into the room and shutting the door behind me.

"Bella. I'm glad that you're awake," Esme greeted me, smiling kindly. I smiled back, and looked over her shoulder to see a pair of blue eyes and a pair of green eyes looking at me.

The girl with the blue eyes had the long hair, and I could see bits of dirty gold among her ash-covered hair.

The girl with the green eyes was smiling slightly, and, now that it was dry, short hair that was dark. I couldn't tell what color it was, but it was dark.

"Bella, this is Rosalie," Esme said, gesturing to the blond, "and Alice," gesturing to the dark haired girl.

"Hi, I'm Bella," I said. Alice's smile got bigger, and Rosalie grinned a little bit.

"Hi," Alice said. Her voice was scratchy from the smoke, still.

"Esme, Carlisle said-" I was cut off by a knock on the door.

I went over and opened it a crack to see Emmett and Jasper with their hands full. Jasper was carrying two water bottles and two cups, along with a bottle of what looked to be pills, and Emmett had clothes draped over his arms.

"Carlisle told us to give these to you," Jasper said quietly. I took the water and cups from him and handed them to Esme, and then gave her the pill bottle.

"I raided your closet. Sorry," Emmett said, grinning. I could tell that he really didn't give a crap what he had done, but nor did I, really.

He gave me the clothing, and I closed the door in his face.

"Alright, then," Esme was saying as I turned around. "We need to get you two cleaned up. But first off, drink this," she said to Alice and Rosalie, handing them each a cup of water after dropping a pill in it. They took the cups and looked at them insecurely.

Esme and I chuckled. "Don't worry. Those are strength pills. Nothing bad," Esme said. The girls looked a bit reassured, and drank the water gone.

"Now we need to get you cleaned up. Bella, how about you take Alice in here to wash off, and I'll take Rosalie to the room next door." I nodded, and stood by Alice.

"Don't stand up for too long," Esme addressed Rosalie and Alice, who nodded. "You might get lightheaded."

With that, I helped Alice stand up. She did so weakly, and grabbed on to my arm for support. I wrapped an arm around her waist to help.

We walked into the bathroom, and I had her sit down on the edge of the tub as it was filling up with warm water.

After a few uncomfortable moments of silence, I decided to ask her what I was wondering about.

"Alice?" She looked up. "How... do you remember what happened on the ship?" I asked. Her eyes filled with a bit of worry, but lots of sorrow.

"S...some," she started, getting used to her voice again. "I... I remember the fight... Everyone was killed... right in front of me." I went over to sit by her as she continued.

"We didn't know what to do. We were afraid, terrified. Rosalie and I, we hid for what seemed like forever. Then we started to smell smoke. Most of the yelling had stopped by then, so we got worried. We went out to the deck, but before we got there, the whole ship shook, and a loud 'bang' made us fall. That happened three more times..." she trailed off, and I patted her arm, encouraging her to continue.

"We figured they were canons, so we ran out to the deck, and saw that it was blown to pieces, and that it was on fire..." There were tears in Alice's eyes.

"Why were you two on the ship?" I asked.

"To help take care of our mistress and her baby," she answered. "But that's what we did next. We searched for our mistress and her daughter, and I... I remember screaming when we saw... when we saw our mistress' body. We then heard crying, and saw that her daughter was still in a bed. We picked her up, and carried her out on to the deck. By then, I was feeling lightheaded. The smoke... it was so thick... I couldn't breathe. I fell down, and Rosalie tried to get me up. Soon she was lying besides me, though, and the baby was unconscious. The last thing that I remember hearing was Rosalie whispering for us not to give up... I can't believe that we lost the baby..." Alice said, crying now. I let her lean against my chest and comforted her.

Then I put the pieces together.

"Alice, was your mistress' daughter the only baby on board?" I asked. Alice nodded while sobbing.

"I... Then I think that she may still be alive." Alice looked up at me through her tear filled eyes.

"My friends found a baby girl with you both. I assume that it must be her," I said. Alice's ash covered head snapped up. I saw her face light up beneath the layer of grime and ash.

" Jadyn's alive!" she said shrilly.

"Er, yes. She's in a room somewhere. I don't know which room, though." As the words left my mouth, Alice squealed and hugged me, still crying. I guessed that she was crying both from sadness and joy now.

"Oh thank goodness! I was so afraid! There were bodies and blood and the fire and smoke-" I cut her off before she began to hyperventilate.

"I know how you feel," I said, remembering why I was sitting here with her at this moment.

"What? H-How?" Alice asked, sobbing again.

"Well, I was on a ship, traveling, when a pirate ship raided us. They came aboard and I hid below decks. When I realized that our crew had lost, and only a few had survived, I knew that my only hope was to dress like one of their crew, so I did. I snuck up there and stood with the pirate crew as they... as they killed-killed the survivors..." Now was my turn to trail off. This was the first real time that I told anyone everything. Alice rubbed my arm.

"None of the pirates noticed me. M-My friend was one of the survivors. He was the one who had hidden me to begin with. He was the only friend that I had had for a couple months straight. I watched as a knife was-was brought to his throat, and I couldn't take it! I... I screamed and jumped on the man about to kill him to stop him. Next thing I know, the man was holding my wrists and I couldn't do anything. The Captain of the ship ordered the man to take my weapons, and then I was defenseless. I was thrown on to the deck, and stood as the pirate Captain walked towards me, pulling out a pistol. I heard the pistol click, then nothing." I felt my voice begin to crack at the next part. "When I was conscious again, I saw..."

Alice was listening intently with tears in her eyes. I, myself, had tears streaming down my face.

"What? What did you see?" Alice murmered, and I knew it was best to just get it all out.

"I-I saw... I saw m-my friend, Eric... dead! He had jumped in front of me, and I had fell back and hit my head as he was shot in my place. H-He saved me! Then I started crying. I saw the whole crew staring at me, and the Captain only ten feet away, looking a bit shocked at what had happened. I continued to cry, wondering what my death would be. They still thought that I was a boy from the ship's crew. They would kill me as they did my best friend..." I paused here, remembering what had happened next. Alice waited patiantly.

"I shut my eyes as the Captain walked towards me... I waited for the pain, or an impact, but it didn't come. Instead the Captain picked me up and carried me back on to his ship as they lit my ship on fire and left it burning in the middle of the ocean, along with Eric..."

"How'd you get off?" Alice asked.

"Well, technically I was carried off of the ship just a few days ago by the Captain. I had a wound in my shoulder, and he was taking me to a doctor." Alice's eyes grew confused.

"But... I don't get it..." she said.

"The Captain is in this house right now, and the funny thing is..." I told her. Alice looked at me, noticing the obvious gaps in my story.

"What's the funny thing?" she asked, and I told her.

"The funny thing is... I think I'm in love with him."

**A/N: k so now u guys kno who they were!!! yay!!! plz review!!! and u also kno wat happened on the ship!!! and the little sentence at the end, well, tell me wat u think about that plz!!!!! ull all get poptarts if u do!!! plz review!!! oh yea, and the baby's name is jadyn, it only turned up once, but plz plz plz tell me wat u think and all of u guys's questions and opinions!!!**

**~MaDdY rOsE**


	17. Chapter 17

**A/N: yay!!! thx soooooooo much reviewers!!! yay!!! k, im not going to make rosalie as mean as she is in the books, but she is a bit on that side, just not that much...**

**disclaimer: i dont own twilight or da characters though i really really wish that i did**

"The funny thing is... I think I'm in love with him." The words came out of my mouth. Alice stared at me.

"But... I thought that you said he killed your best friend... And how come he's in this house? Shouldn't we hide?" she said, getting shrill again.

"No, no! We're safe! Calm down!" I said before she melted down. "And yes, he did kill my best friend, but now, thanks to him, I have five more friends, and all of them are just as great as my last, in their own ways. He's in this house because his father and mother live here, and his father is the doctor I was taken to after a fight. I was stabbed in the shoulder." She winced as I showed her the bandages around my shoulder.

"Yes, but _why_ are you staying here willingly?" she asked.

"Once he found out I was a girl, he was enraged. Then I found out... more about the crew, and I was afraid. His brothers were already my new best friends, and they comforted me and protected me from him. Then we started to talk, but the fight broke up the conversation. I snuck out on to the deck to fight, and everything was going fine until I looked up to see that we had won. Apparently some of the attacking crew hadn't figured that out yet, and I was stabbed. I went unconscious, and woke up in his cabin. We were near port, so we stopped there, and he and his brothers took me to a doctor. We found out that the doctor was actually his father, and his father and mother (Esme) offered us the chance to stay here while I'm healing. He's been really nice since the fight..." I trailed off.

"So are those two that were outside the door earlier his brothers?" she asked.

"Yes, that was Jasper and Emmett. Emmett was the obnoxious sounding one." I said.

"Did they see us?! It's already embarrassing enough for three people to see me like this!" Alice said, and I chuckled.

"No, they couldn't. I had the door in their faces. Now, speaking of that, let's get you cleaned off. Then you can change."

She nodded eagerly, and I helped her into the tub.

***

"Come on, let's go and how long we've kept Esme and Rosalie waiting," I said to Alice.

We had washed her up and scrubbed her down. She was now spotless and looked to be feeling much better. After we had washed out her hair, I saw that it was black.

Alice was now wearing a pair of my pajamas. It was the smallest one in the pile, but it looked cute on her. Blue pants with a light yellow tank.

"Alright!" Alice said. She had been quite perky since she got out of the bath, and was full of energy, though still a bit weak.

I gently grabbed her arm and we walked out of the bathroom to see Esme and Rosalie talking on the bed.

I had been right. Rosalie was blond, but she was also the most beautiful _human_ that I had ever seen. Her hair was wavy and went down to her waist, and her skin was pale like Alice and mine. Her blue eyes were bright and she now had a smile on her face. She, too, was dressed in a pair of my pajamas. Light blue pants with a soft pink cami.

"I see that you two are finally finished," Esme said as we both sat down on the bed with them.

"Yes and I feel so much better!" Alice said happily.

"I'm glad to hear it," Esme smiled. "What in the world took so long, though?"

"We started talking. She told me their story," I told Esme.

"Well, yes, Rosalie told me too, but we've still been waiting for about twenty minutes!"

"Well, I told her mine, too," I said in a soft voice, and Esme looked at me with a caring, understanding look. She must know that it was hard for me.

"Alright-"

"Rosalie! Guess what?" Alice said, bouncing up and down a bit.

"What, Alice?" Rosalie said with an amused look in her eyes, as well as a bit of sadness. Alice saw that.

"Why are you sad?" Alice asked her friend.

Rosalie looked a bit surprised. "Because... Alice, we lost Jadyn." Her eyes began to fill with tears.

"No we didn't, silly! Bella told me that Jadyn was found with us and is here, too!" Alice said, hugging Rosalie, who's face lit with happiness at these words.

"What? Is this true?" she asked, turning to Esme and I. Esme turned to me.

"Alice said that there was only one baby on board of the ship, so she must be her," I explained.

"In that case, then yes, Jadyn's a couple rooms over," Esme said. Then she turned to me. "Bella, I heard them talking, and it sounds like she's awake."

I knew that Esme met that she had heard the guys using her vampire super hearing, and that they had made it sound like Jadyn was awake.

"Alright. Should we...?" I trailed off, giving no indication of what we were talking about.

"Yes, I don't see any harm in it. But then these two have to get some sleep," Esme agreed.

"No! I'm not tired!" Alice whined. I picked up the bottle of pills that they had taken.

"Says here that the stregth thing gives them energy for up to six hours. It's been less than two," I said. Esme sighed.

"Well, Carlisle is the one who wanted to give them it, so I guess that you two don't have to go to sleep. Besides, it's only 9:00 in the morning."

I looked at the clock, amazed that it was still morning time.

"Yay!" Alice rejoiced.

"What were you two talking about a moment ago?" Rosalie asked suspiciously.

"Well, if you want, and if Carlisle says you may, you can go see the baby. She's awake now," Esme told them.

"Yes! Of course!" Alice practically screamed. Wow.

"Okay, but you'll have to be quiet. She can't take strength pills, so she's still weak. How old is she, anyway?" Esme asked.

"Almost eight months," answered Alice. "She can crawl a little bit!"

"Alright, Bella, why don't you go ask Carlisle if we can come."

I nodded, and got up from the bed. I stepped out into the hallway, and crept down to the room I could hear talking in.

I pushed open the door, and Carlisle, Edward, Jasper, and Emmett looked up.

"She's awake," Carlisle smiled.

"So I heard."

The baby was lying in the middle of a bed so that she couldn't roll off it. Her big blue eyes were sparkling, and she was cleaned off mostly. She had some white-blond hair. She was adorable!

"Esme asked me to tell you that Alice and Rosalie are coming to see the baby if you say it's alright. We think that they know her. Was she with them when you found her?" I asked.

"Yes, in between them," Edward answered, coming over to my side and putting a hand around my waist. Emmett chuckled and Jasper smiled. I shot them an annoyed glance, but quickly got over it.

"That's where Alice said she was when she lost consciousness, so it should be the same baby," I said, leaning towards him.

"You can go tell Esme that's it's alright if they see the baby," Carlisle said to me.

Reluctantly I went away from Edward's side, and quickly went back to the room.

"Carlisle says go ahead," I said, peering into the room to see Esme, Rosalie, and Alice stand up.

Without waiting for them, I hurried back to the baby's room and by Edward again. He wrapped his arm around me like before, and I leaned against him, holding his arm.

Esme led Alice and Rosalie into the room. The girls looked around. I watched them, in case any of the guys frightened them. I looked at the guys and saw, to my interest, a twinkle in Jasper and Emmett's eyes as they stared at the now clean and presentable girls. Emmett's mouth actually dropped open a bit as he stared at Rosalie. Carlisle looked happy and caring.

Alice and Rosalie didn't seem to notice that the guys were gaping at them stupidly. Once they saw the baby girl on the bed, they ran over to it.

"Is this Jadyn?" I asked.

"Yes! This is her! I'm so glad that you saved her! Thank you thank you thank you!" Alice said, actually hugging Carlisle, who looked surprised, then Rosalie, who had a huge smile and happy eyes.

"Now, I know that you're both very happy, but you can't pick her up yet," Carlisle said as he joined his wife near the excited girls. Edward and I stood by Jasper and Emmett, who were still staring. Emmett had shut his mouth, though.

"Okay," Rosalie said. They both knelt down next to the bed and held Jadyn's little hands that immediately wrapped themselves around their fingers.

We watched on silently.

"We're going to go downstairs now. Just call out if you need anything," Carlisle said as he and Esme walked to the door.

"I'm going to make a late breakfast. Bella, Alice, and Rosalie haven't had anything yet," Esme said before shutting the door behind them.

I didn't want to leave Rosalie and Alice alone with the speechless guys, so after I tired of standing, I sat on Edward's lap in a chair that I hadn't noticed before.

Alice and Rosalie were talking to one another and Jadyn. When Jadyn's eyes shut, Alice and Rosalie each kissed her on the forehead before standing. They looked around, shocked. They had obviously forgotten that they had an audience.

I came to their rescue.

"Let's go downstairs," I suggested, nudging Edward to help me out.

"Yeah. Esme should have food ready soon," he said.

Alice and Rosalie nodded, and I stood up from Edward's lap.

"Come on," I said, letting them lead the way out of the room. When they were out, I turned to Jasper and Emmett.

"Coming, boys?" I asked with a smirk.

"Yea..." Jasper said, shaking himself. Emmett was still speechless.

I smiled and went to catch up with Alice and Rosalie. They didn't know where to go, and would need help down the stairs. Although, when I thought about it, I would fall, too.

"Jasper! Emmett! Edward!" I called to the guys, who were still with Jadyn. I saw three heads poke out of the doorway.

"Are you going to make sure that we don't fall down two flights of stairs, or let us crack our heads open?" I asked. They hurried towards us, chuckling.

"Aww... Bella wants Edward to help her!" Emmett said, back to his normal self. I glared at him.

"Knowing you, that's probably what would happen," Edward smiled. I stepped on his foot, though I knew he probably couldn't feel a thing. He was supposed to be on my side!

"Come on, love. You don't actually think that that hurt me, do you?" he chuckled, wrapping his arm around my waist.

"No. It was for the affect!" I said stubbornly. He laughed some more.

"Come on!" I said, stepping down the first couple stairs. When no one followed us, we looked back.

"Coming?" I asked.

"Yep," Alice said, skipping down the first few steps then pausing, clutching the railing tightly.

"Ugh... I'm lightheaded," she said, balancing herself.

"Jasper, make sure she doesn't fall. Emmett, don't let Rosalie fall. If you do, I'll have Edward beat the crap out of you both," I instructed.

"Now that's something I'd like to see," Emmett chuckled, putting an arm around Rosalie. Jasper steadied Alice and supported her as we made our way into the living room.

Once in the living room, I told Alice and Rosalie to sit down on one of the numerous pieces of furniture. They did so, with Jasper and Emmett watching them the whole time.

I walked over to a white couch with Edward, and curled up in his lap. He held me close.

"Sit down you morons!" I told Jasper and Emmett.

Jasper led the way to a couch across from Edward and I and next to Rosalie and Alice.

"How old are you two?" I asked Alice and Rosalie.

"I'm 16, and Alice is 15," Rosalie said.

"Great! I'm 15! Yay!" I said, happy to have more new friends.

"Oh! Crap! Jasper, we totally forgot about the game! It'll be on any minute!" Emmett suddenly burst out, jumping up and racing over to where the remote was. Jasper looked worried for a moment.

The four of us cracked up.

"You two are so lucky. You get to hear their colorful language the first day here," Edward said, earning him a thump on the head by Emmett. Alice, Rosalie, and I laughed.

"Girls! The food's ready!" Esme called from the kitchen.

Rosalie and Alice jumped up. I guessed that they were very hungry. I, on the other hand, frowned. This meant I had to get up out of Edward's arms.

Emmett and Jasper saw this, and started laughing.

"Come on, Bella. I'll carry you," Edward chuckled, standing up with me in his arms.

"No, I can walk," I sighed. He set me down and walked with us into the kitchen, where we sat down at a table filled with food. Pancakes, fruit, yogurt, cereal, orange juice, you name it. Esme had quite a bit out.

Rosalie and Alice were smiling.

"Thank you Esme!" we all cried at once. Esme smiled back at us and slipped out of the room as we ate.

When we were finished, Edward decided that he would clean up the table, so we went back into the living room. Carlisle was now there, along with everyone else.

"No! Crapcrapcrapcrap NO!!!!" Jasper yelled.

"Damn it! RUN!" Emmett shouted, along with a few other not-so-plesant things. Carlisle glared at him.

Before we could sit down at a couch, Alice yawned, and Rosalie caught it. Carlisle, being the doctor he was, decided that they were tired.

"Bella, would you take Rosalie and Alice back upstairs. It's almost 1:00, and the medication is beginning to wear off. They should get some sleep," he said. I nodded. "One of them can use the room that's first on the second floor."

"I'll need the Jasper and Emmett to help us up the stairs though. I can't catch anyone, let alone not fall myself," I agreed, and Jasper and Emmett looked up from the commercial.

They walked us up the stairs, with an arm around Alice and Rosalie's waists. Alice decided to take the room on the second floor, so I showed her to the first room and Jasper left.

I then went with Rosalie to the room that they had been staying in before, and once I made sure that she had everything, Emmett and I left her to sleep.

Emmett raced downstairs to the game, but as I was passing the second floor, Alice stopped me. She pulled me into the room and shut the door.

"Is Edward the Captain?" she asked. I blushed, but nodded.

"Okay!" she said before yawning.

"You should get some rest now," I suggested, and she nodded, slipping into the bed.

I left, shutting the door behind me, and went downstairs to sit with the Cullens.

***

"I'm going up to bed," I announced. I had been in the living room almost all day, watching football games and learning new words. Now it was almost ten pm, and I had had a long day. Alice and Rosalie hadn't waken up yet, and Carlisle and Esme were up taking care of Jadyn, who had slept most of the day, too.

"I'll go up with you," Edward said, and I stood up and stretched.

"G'night Emmett," I said, giving him a one-armed hug. I don't think that he noticed. His eyes were glued to the TV.

"G'night Jasper," I said. I hugged him too, but he hugged me back, though his eyes still didn't leave the TV.

"C'mon Edward," I yawned.

Edward picked me up and ran me up the stairs and to the last door on the second floor. We walked into my room and he set me down.

I grabbed his hand and pulled him out on to the balcony. We hadn't been alone since this morning.

Damn, I really was falling head over heels for him!

He sat on a chair, and I on his lap. He wrapped his arms around me and I clung to him. We listened to the sound of the waves crashing on to the shore silently for half an hour, then Edward whispered something to me.

"I heard something funny today," he said quietly. I was confused.

"And what might that be?" I asked. He pulled me closer.

"I heard that you're falling in love with the man who destroyed your life." My heart raced. How had he- oh yeah. Vampire hearing. Damn it.

"He rebuilt it, too, though," I said.

"So that's how you feel about me?" Edward asked.

I swallowed. What if he didn't feel the same way? Oh well. There was no hiding it.

"Yes," I whispered hoarsly.

His next whisper made my heart stop.

"Good, because I love you too."

**A/N: YAY!!! how do u like it?! plz review and tell me wat u think!!! i really wanna know so i kno wat to do next!!! this is important ppl!!! plz tell me wat u think of the two/threeish main parts:**

**edward/bella thing**

**Jadyn thing**

**Alice&Rose/Jasper&Emmett thing**

**plz review!!!**

**~maddy rose**


	18. Chapter 18

**A/N: ok so i just have to say how amazingly happily surprised i was when i checked my mail this morning. my friend was over last night, so i didnt check my email. when i did this morning. o. m. f. g!!! i had 62 reviews/hits!!! thnkuthnkuthnku all soooo much!!! i cannot say how amazed i was!!! wow!!!**

**thank u all so much!!!! yay!!!**

**disclaimer: i dont own twilight but i did have 62 hits/reviews this morning from chappie 17!!! yay!!! thx so much!!!**

I opened my eyes to the rays of bright light that were streaming in through the glass door.

I recalled Alice and Rosalie, and Jadyn. Then I sat up when I remembered Edward. He said he loved me too!!! I was beyond happy.

I was eager to see him again, so I grabbed a dress and some shorts from the now-full closet and went into the bathroom. I quickly jumped in the shower, smothering my hair with the strawberry shampoo before rinsing it out. I finished quickly.

Once I was dressed in a light blue sundress and white shorts, I exited the bathroom to hear faint yelling coming from the beach. It didn't sound bad, it sounded kind of like laughter. I ran out on to the balcony and looked at the shore to see four figures running around and splashing in the waves. Another figure was watching and laughing. I recognized the figures as Emmett, Jasper, Rosalie, and Alice, with Edward watching.

I turned back into my room and ran down the stairs, thankfully not tripping. Esme was already waiting for me with a banana for breakfast when I got to the door.

"You can't go out without eating," she said. I groaned before peeling the fruit and shoving it down my throat. So Esme like. I guessed that Carlisle was working.

Once finished, Esme smiled and nodded before taking the peel and going back to the kitchen. I raced out the door and down to the sand. I walked to where the waves were, because I had been tripping on the shifty sand a lot. When close enough to Edward, I took a running jump and leapt on his back. He started cracking up, and I got off. He spun to face me.

"Good morning." He smiled his perfect, crooked smile. I felt my pulse in my fingers.

"Good morning," I said when I could talk again. "What's been going on out here?" I asked, looking at where Jasper and Emmett were chasing Alice and Rosalie, laughing as the girls fell in the sand.

"Well, Alice and Rosalie got up around six, so when you didn't wake up, they asked Carlisle if they could go to the shore. When he agreed, I told those two stupid brothers of mine to follow them instead of staring after them like drunks. They did so, and I came out to watch when I heard laughing. And now that you're here, we can join them!"

I smiled and ran over to where the chase was going on. Edward followed me, laughing. I tackled Emmett from behind, who was teaming up with Jasper, trying to catch the girls fairly. Note that I said fairly.

Emmett jumped, and held on more tightly, laughing. Alice and Rosalie were distracted and Jasper used this advantage. He snuck up behind Alice, smirking, and gently grabbed her upper arms. She squealed and struggled against him as Emmett tried to pull me off without hurting me. I wouldn't let go.

As I watched, laughing, I didn't notice Edward sneak up behind me. He began to tickle my sides, and I let go of Emmett, landing in the sand. I was unable to stop laughing as I tried to get away from Edward. It was only when I heard laughing squeals that we both looked up, giving me a chance to breathe. I slipped away while Edward was watching Emmett grab Rosalie and Alice pound her tiny fists against his back, until Jasper came up behind her.

I ran towards them, and Edward starting chasing after me, looking a bit surprised that I had gotten away so quickly.

I jumped on Jasper as he was about to grab Alice, and he tumbled to the ground. Of course he wasn't really affected by my jumping on him, but he had to act like it.

I felt two cold hands gently grab my arms and pull me off of Jasper, who was chuckling.

"Do you three actually think that you can beat us?!" Emmett yelled with a huge grin as Alice continued to maul him.

Alice was the only "free" one, but as soon as I was off of him, Jasper ran over and captured her with his strong grasp. I laughed and struggled to free myself from Edward, but it was useless. Alice and Rosalie were doing the same, but soon Edward, Emmett, and Jasper thought that it would be amusing if they started to tickle us. So they did.

I laughed until I cried, and when all three of us were begging for them to stop, they finally let us go.

I inhaled, gasping for air, as Rosalie and Alice did the same. Rosalie whacked Emmett on the back of his head while he lay in the sand, laughing.

"How *gasp* dare you!" I said to Edward, who was also chuckling.

"Sorry, love," he said, wrapping his cold arms around me. I sighed. I couldn't actually stay mad at him.

"Lunch!" Esme's voice made our heads whip up and look at the house. We got up with the guys still laughing, and stumbled through the sand.

When we were about two feet from the stairs, I tripped. I felt Edward's arms wrap around my waist and pull me close to him before I smashed into the stairs. I looked up into his topaz eyes.

"Thanks."

"Not a problem," he said. The others had made their ways inside, so Edward carried me into the kitchen.

As Rosalie, Alice, and I sat down at the table, the boys made up an excuse not to eat and Esme pretended to be annoyed.

As we ate, my mind wondered to Jadyn. What was going to happen to her?

***

It was evening. The sun had almost sunk beneath the waves, and we were all seated in the living room.

Emmett, Jasper, Alice, Rosalie, Edward and I had crammed ourselves on to the largest couch and Carlise and Esme were seated next to each other on a smaller one.

Alice and Rosalie had become part of our group during the day, and had grown pretty close to Jasper and Emmett already. I smiled at the thought. The guys seemed to like them quite a bit, for only knowing them a couple days.

The TV was off (much to Emmett's dislike), and Carlisle had called us together for something. I didn't know what, though. The pirate ship was going to return in two days. Maybe it was about that...

"Alright, we have some things to discuss," Carlisle started, and we gave him our full attention.

"First off, do you two know about the lifestyle my sons, and now Bella, have?" he asked, looking at Alice and Rosalie in their place between Jasper and Emmett. They both nodded.

"Bella told me about the pirate ship, and I told Rosalie. I hope that's alright," Alice said, looking worried.

"That's perfectly fine," he reassured her before turning back to all of us. "The ship will be returning in two days, right Edward?"

Edward nodded.

"Then we have two days until Edward, Bella, Jasper, and Emmett leave. What we need to discuss is what you two want to do." Carlisle looked at Alice and Rosalie again, who looked slightly worried.

"Do you have anywhere to go, or to stay?"

They both hesitated before shaking their heads.

"No," Rosalie whispered.

"Alright, then. Esme and I have an offer for you." He looked at his wife before continuing. Esme nodded.

"You are both very welcome to stay here, and so is Jadyn. It's up to you, but know that we would be very happy to have you, and-" Before he could finish, he and Esme had arms wrapped around their necks and words of gratitude flung at them.

"Would you really?" Carlisle nodded, and Alice hugged even more tightly. I was sure that if he was human, he would be blue right now.

"Oh thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you!" She and Rosalie said. I smiled, amused.

I looked over at Jasper and Emmett. They looked happy for the girls but also a bit sad. Why?

When Rosalie and Alice had been pried off of Esme and Carlisle, Carlisle told us that he and Esme were going to check on Jadyn.

"What now?" I asked once they were upstairs.

Alice and Rosalie shrugged, but Edward, Jasper, and Emmett looked at each other, and yelled really loudly:

"MOWE!!!"

"What the hell is mowe, and why the hell did you three have to yell so loudly?!" I screamed at them, trying to ignore the ringing in my ears.

"Mowe is just THE MOST AWESOME card game in the world!" Emmett yelled, jumping up from where he sat. He ran off for a moment and returned with four decks of cards.

"Why four?" I asked.

"Because you need as many cards as you can," Jasper explained, standing. He and Emmett pushed the coffee table out of the way and cleared a huge space in the middle of the room. They then motioned for us to come sit in a circle. Edward did, but Alice, Rosalie, and I exchanged worried glances.

"Come ON! I want to play!" Emmett whined from in front of us. Rosalie reached out and smacked him before sitting down besides him.

Alice and I hesitantly sat down. I was between her and Edward, and she was also next to Jasper. I grinned.

"Ok, if you three want to play so badly, you'll have to explain to us the rules," Rosalie said, glaring at Emmett, who had an incredibly stupid grin on his face.

"Edward, you shuffle, I'll explain," Jasper said, tossing the four decks across the circle to Edward.

"There are quite a few rules to mowe, but you catch on fast. To play, there is a mowe master. The mowe master gets to add or take away a rule. Edward will be mowe master first. He'll begin by putting a card on the card that's already facing up, kind of like Uno. It has to be either the same number or suit. We continue like this until someone runs out of cards and slaps the pile of cards, declaring themselves the new mowe master..."

Jasper explained the numerous rules to us and then we began to play. It was confusing, but it was also hilarious. Lots of fighting was involved, and the boys even began to tackle one another at times.

We got to a point where nobody knew if it was 'point of order', or not. 'Point of order' is the only time in the game when anyone can ask a question.

"It was so point of order!!! I do NOT get a card for asking a question!" Jasper roared.

"Yes, you do! You complete moron! Point of order ended like, five minutes ago! Plus, you get another card because you tried to give that one back! So here are your two cards! TAKE THEM!" Emmett yelled, chucking two cards across the deformed circle at Jasper.

"He gets another card for not accepting them, too!" Edward yelled, taking a card off of the top of the stack and sliding it over to Jasper.

"HA! MOWE MASTER HAS FINAL SAY! YOU HAVE TO TAKE THE CARDS NOW!" Emmett screamed. Jasper looked enraged.

"I DO NOT! IF THERE'S AN UNFAIR REASON, I DON'T HAVE TO TAKE THE CARDS! MISCONCEPTION!" Jasper took yet _another_ card off of the top of the deck and passed it, along with the other three, to Emmett.

"YES, YOU DO! SO HERE! TAKE THE CARDS!" Edward yelled, passing on the cards that were being thrown around.

"NO, I DON'T!"

"YES, YOU DO!"

"NO, I DON'T!"

"YES, YOU DO!"

With that, Jasper launched himself across the circle at Edward, who did the same. They met in midair and a crash echoed throughout the house. Whoops. Alice and Rosalie weren't supposed to hear that.

"GUYS! IT WAS POINT OF ORDER!!! JASPER DOESN'T GET THE CARDS!" I screamed.

"THANK YOU, BELLA!" Jasper yelled from somewhere under Edward.

"NO IT WASN'T! I'M MOWE MASTER! I GET THE FINAL WORD!" Edward yelled. When Jasper was about to win the wrestling match, Emmett threw himself into the fight on Edward's side.

I turned to Alice and Rosalie, who were both fighting about it, too. Alice was on mine and Jasper's side, and Rosalie was against us.

"It wasn't point of order! Jasper should get the cards!" Rosalie said in a raised voice while the yells continued in the background.

"It so was! Nobody said "end point of order"!"Alice said, and I nodded. Before I could back her up, however, strings of curses came from behind us.

"DAMN IT! IT WAS POINT OF ORDER! YOU TWO MUST HAVE MINDS MADE OF CRAP!" Jasper yelled.

"NO IT WASN'T! DAMN IT JASPER NO IT WAS NOT!" Edward roared.

"CRAP! DAMN IT! WHAT THE HELL JASPER?! DID YOU JUST _BITE_ ME! YOU'RE GONNA GET IT NOW! YOU JUST PISSED EMMETT CULLEN OFF!" Emmett yelled, punching Jasper nonstop and clutching his forearm where bitemarks were appearing.

Though Edward and Emmett were both up against Jasper, it seemed pretty well matched. Though Emmett and Edward could do some harm to Jasper if they caught him, Jasper continued to dodge them.

"GUYS! THE FIGHT IS EVEN! ALICE AND I AGREE WITH JASPER, AND EMMETT AND ROSALIE AGREE WITH EDWARD!!! HOW ABOUT WE JUST GO BACK TO RIGHT BEFORE THIS!!! NO ONE GETS ANY CARDS!!! NOW QUIT KILLING EACH OTHER!" I screamed. It didn't make a difference.

"NO BELLA! WE _HAVE_ TO SETTLE THIS!!! WE CAN'T CONTINUE UNTIL WE- OWW!!! DAMN IT JASPER QUIT _BITING _US!!!" Edward screamed before digging his teeth into Jasper's shoulder.

"DAMN IT!!!" Jasper yelled as Edward's teeth broke his skin. I guessed that the venom hurt pretty badly.

"Why are they _biting_ each other?" Rosalie asked, and Alice shrugged.

"GUYS! SERIOUSLY! WE DON'T HAVE TO GIVE ANYONE ANY CARDS!" I yelled again.

"WE HAVE TO SOLVE THIS BEL-"

"BOYS! STOP _THIS_ INSTANT!" came Esme's shrill voice from the stairs.

Jasper, Edward, and Emmett broke apart immediately, and I saw that they all had ripped shirts and a few new bitemarks. They were all wincing in pain as Esme and Carlisle came down the staircase from upstairs.

"You-" Esme pointed to Emmett"-sit on that couch!"

"Whatever..." Emmett grumbled.

"And you, Edward, sit on that couch. NO! Do not touch each other! Jasper! Over there!"

"Yes'm..." Jasper replied, sitting down on the couch behind Alice, Rosalie and I. We inched away from him in case his anger got the best of him. They all seemed pretty pissed at the moment.

"This game is over for tonight! One, look at the mess you made! Two, you woke up Jadyn! Three, I cannot believe that you started _biting_ each other!" Carlisle said, raising his voice with every word and crossing his arms as he glared at his adopted sons.

"Come on girls, let's get you upstairs and to bed. This isn't going to be pretty," Esme said, heading towards the stairs as Carlisle continued to tell off Edward, Emmett, and Jasper.

We followed her, and Alice and I said our goodnights to Esme and Rosalie when we reached the second floor. Rosalie and Esme continued to the third floor.

When we reached Alice's room, we exchanged our own goodnights before I walked to my room. Once in there, I quickly changed into pjs and slipped into bed, where I closed my eyes and let the yelling downstairs fade into the background.

**A/N: k so thats wats gonna happen with alice and rosalie so far. tell me wat u think!!! i had fun typing the last part. i kno it wasnt that funny, but it was fun to type. oh yea, and mowe is a game. its really really fun to play and hysterical. there r lots of rules, so ppl mess up a lot.... plz review and tell me how u like the chappie!!!! thx soooo much to all the reviewers that review at each chappie, and even if you dont and only sometimes, ur still awesome!!! but plz review and tell me ur honest opinion on the chappie w/the alice rosalie thing!!!**

**~maddy rose**


	19. Chapter 19

**A/N: nooooo!!!! its monday... *sob* but the reviews improved my day, sooo... thx so much u guys!!!**

**on a happier note: O.M.F.G. if i was happy when i saw 62 reviews/favs, im nothing like right now. over 230 reviews!!! omfg!!! i didnt even think i was at 100!!! wow!!! YIPPEE!!! wow... thank u all SO much!!! wow.**

**ok so there r pics of the outfits on my profile for bellas sundresses if u wanna look at them, sooooo...**

**this chappie is huge ppl! absolutely GINORMOUS!!! sooooo... if u could give me some feedback at the end, thatd b really helpful to know ppls likes/dislikes, or any questions u have, soooooo......**

**disclaimer: idontowntwilighthaareuhappynowforruiningmyhopesanddreams?! now on with the important chappie!**

I was dreaming. I knew that I was dreaming, because I doubted that this could happen in real life.

In the dream, I was sitting on a ginormous pile of dry pasta. All sorts of pasta. Penne, spaghetti, elbow macaroni, etc. It was itchy. Then I saw this giant chocolate poptart with the word 'Siberia' on it with icing hobbling over towards me. As it neared me, I heard my stomach rumble. It continued to do this.

"Aww. Looks like Bella's hungry!"

I snapped my eyes open. Emmett. Apparently it wasn't only in my dreams that I was hungry. My stomach wouldn't shut the hell up in real life, either, and Emmett sitting on the end of my bed, making fun of me.

"What the hell was up with the 'dry itchy pasta', or the 'evil poptart'?" Emmett asked, and I groaned. I had been talking in my sleep. Great.

"I don't know! Why the hell are you here?!" I asked. His presense was irratating me beyond belief.

"Because he and his brother's aren't allowed to go outside today, and I hid all of the cards and boardgames. Along with the remote to the TV in the living room, which is on lock. They can't turn it on without the remote." I turned to see Carlisle smirking in my doorway. So that was their punishment.

Wait! Crap! That meant that we were stuck in here with them all day if I wanted to see Edward! Ugh... I flopped back on to my pillow.

"So hurry up and get up! I need something to do!" Emmett said as Carlisle left.

"Go find Rosalie," I said, and if he could've blushed, he would've.

"Shut up..." he grumbled.

"Well, whatever, I'll get up. But I still have to get dressed and shower, so get out!" I said, shooing him away. He grinned and jumped up, running out of the room.

I got up and pulled out a sundress from the closet. It was light blue with dark blue ribbon on it. I added a pair of white shorts and stuck them on the bathroom counter.

When I had finished my shower and gotten dressed, I walked down the hallway. As I passed Alice's door, it burst open. I was suddenly pulled into her room.

"What the hell, Alice?!" I exclaimed.

"Why are you leaving in a day?!" she asked.

"I'm going to go with Edward, Jasper, and Emmett back to the pirate ship. I like it there. And I get to be around them," I said, shrugging.

"But you'll be leaving Rosalie and I! I don't want you to go!" Alice said.

"Alice, I'm going to go on that ship. Now come on. Let's go downstairs. I bet that the guys are already bored out of their minds without us around."

"Oh they are. I was down there earlier. Then Rosalie decided to check on Jadyn, so I came in here," she said.

"Yeah. Waiting in here for me to walk by so that you can bombard me with questions. Come on," I said, grabbing her arm and pulling her out of the room and down the stairs.

"Yay! They're finally up!" We were greeted by Jasper and Emmett's cheering and clapping. They were just sitting on a couch, obviously bored.

"Where's Edward?" I asked and immediately regretted it. Emmett burst out laughing, and Jasper smirked, but when Alice bounced over and sat down between him and Emmett, he stopped watching me, and looked at her. Now it was my turn to smirk.

"Did you call for me, love?" I turned at the velvety voice to see Edward smiling.

"Yes, actually, but only if you promise not to start biting your brothers," I said. He sighed.

"Fine... You and my mother get along real well I bet, with this 'no fighting' thing."

"I'm not opposed to fighting, _if_ there is a sensible reason." He opened his mouth to speak, but I cut him off.

"And no, a card game is _not_ a sensible reason."

"It so is!" came Emmett from the couch.

"So, since you three are practically grounded, what are we going to do today?" I asked.

"We're not grounded! Just not allowed to use this TV unless we find the remote- and trust me, we've searched everywhere- not allowed to go outside either... but that's it!" Emmett said stubbornly.

"Have you three even considered that Carlisle hid the remote outside somewhere?" Alice asked, and they all three slapped their foreheads.

"Damn it! I bet you're right. That's just the kind of thing that he would do!" Jasper said.

"Is Carlisle at work?" I asked.

"Yes, Esme's here though, but she's taking a walk on the beach," Edward replied, wrapping an arm around my waist.

"What are we gonna _do_ today?" Emmett whined.

"Are will able to go up to the fourth floor? I haven't been up there before. Maybe it has some stuff to do," I suggested.

The guys looked at one another for a moment.

"VIDEO GAMES!!!" they all yelled at once.

"Carlisle would've never thought to hide what's upstairs! Yes! I totally forgot about up there too!" Jasper said.

"It's probably better than anything down here!" Edward said.

"Then let's go!" Alice said, standing and grabbing Jasper's hand to pull him up. Awww!!! They'd make a perfect couple! Then I remembered that we were leaving in a day's time, and that Alice and Rosalie were staying here. They wouldn't be able to stay together. Nor would Emmett and Rosalie. That made me sad. I sighed.

Edward picked me up and we raced up the stairs.

"Wait!" We stopped at Alice's voice.

"Can we grab Rosalie and Jadyn and get them to come up, too? Someone can hold Jadyn, or I'm sure that she'd enjoy just crawling around," Alice said.

"Of course," Jasper told her.

We waited a moment as Alice ran to the room that Jadyn was staying in.

She returned with Rosalie, who was holding an oh-so-adorable Jadyn. Awww!

We made our way up to the fourth floor. Alice, Rosalie, and I hadn't been up here before, but Edward, Jasper, and Emmett had been up here once.

Jasper and Emmett led the way into the room.

"YES!!!" came Emmetts excited voice from inside the room.

"The games are in here, along with lots of other cool crap!" Jasper called, poking his head back out.

Edward carried me in and I looked around. It was like a HUGE lounge. I guessed that the room took up the whole entire fourth floor, besides a door that led to a bathroom. It had a wooden floor but was covered in cool rugs and beanbag chairs. There were two couches and a HUGE tv on one half of the room. Besides the tv was a bookshelf that was stocked with video games for all sorts of systems.

The other half had shelves of random things and books. The wooden floor was painted white, and the walls were a light blue, like my bedroom. Tables were placed randomly, and I saw a huge mistake on Carlisle's behalf. On one of the tables were tons of poker chips and cards. There was also a sterio by the tv with large speakers.

Wow. This room was AWESOME!!!

Edward set me down, and Rosalie and Jadyn came in behind us. Alice was already looking around excitedly.

Rosalie set Jadyn down far from the stairs, and we set books up as a border on the stairs. Jadyn started crawling around. She was so cute!

"Well, it looks like we're going to be staying in here all day, so I'm going to go grab some snacks, drinks, and the stuff for Jadyn," Edward said before racing back down the stairs.

"Which game first?" Emmett said as he and Jasper started going through tons of video games. They picked out some racing one, and Alice, Rosalie, and I sat down near them as they played.

"When are you guys leaving?" Rosalie asked sadly.

"Ummm.... I'm not sure. Either tomorrow, or the next day, but it's most likely tomorrow..." I didn't really know the details.

"I told the pirate in charge to be back tomorrow, but it will be in the evening." I jumped at Edward's voice, and turned to see him holding bags of chips and pretzels, along with some drinks and Jadyn's supplies. He set the stuff down on a table then sat in a beanbag. I joined him and sat on his lap. He wrapped his arms around me.

"Alright," Alice said. There was no spark in her eyes. That made me rather sad to see.

"Crapcrapcrap!" came Emmett's voice. We all looked over to see something explode on one half of the screen and Jasper smirking from where he sat.

We watched for another minute.

"Yes! Haha! I won! Gimme the money, Emmett! I just beat the crap out of you!" Jasper punched the air happily while Emmett sulked.

"I don't owe you money! We never bet!" he said.

"No, but we should've," Jasper replied.

"How do you play those?" Alice asked, moving over to Jasper's side.

"Here. We'll show you," Emmett said, and he motioned for Rosalie to sit by him.

While they showed Alice and Rosalie how to play, Jadyn crawled up to Edward and I. I lifted her on to my lap, and she grabbed my hair.

"Hi Jadyn!" I said. She giggled, and Edward chuckled. He now had us both sitting on him.

"This is Edward! You know Edward!" I said, and she put a hand on his face a giggled some more.

"Hi Jadyn!" he said, taking her hand and waving it a bit.

"You're such a manly pirate captain," I smirked.

"Yes, well, I have you," he said, and I blushed.

The rest of the day continued in the same fashion. We all became even better friends, and I sat with Edward the whole time. Jadyn crawled around and when she was tired, we set her in a pile of pillows, and she napped.

I realized that in just a few days, I had become great friends with Alice and Rosalie. I didn't want to leave them, but I couldn't stay here, either. I wanted to be with Edward. I mainly worried about Emmett and Jasper, though. They seemed to like Alice and Rosalie a bit too much to be leaving tomorrow. Alice and Rosalie would be sad, too.

I would also miss Jadyn. I spent the whole day watching her crawl around, and realized what a sweet baby she was. She had only cried some on her whole stay, and laughed a lot.

To add to the list of people I would miss was Carlisle and Esme. Carlisle had been checking every day to make sure that my shoulder was alright (which it was now), and Esme reminded me of my own mother, only more... caring, and kind. My parents were nice, but since they were so busy, they were often grumpy, or just not around. Carlisle was also like my father, except... more fatherly. Much more fatherly. I was going to miss them both so much!

Our day in the fourth floor ended when Carlisle came home. We hadn't seen Esme all day, but I knew that she knew where we were, so she shouldn't be worried.

Carlisle came home, and Jasper and Alice were in the middle of a race. Rosalie was holding Jadyn, and Emmett was sitting by her. I was playing a game of Go Fish with Edward. He was winning.

Carlisle came upstairs just as Alice beat Jasper (he so let her win) and looked at us. We all looked at him innocently.

"I see that you found a loophole in the rules," he said, breaking into a smile. We all smiled and starting laughing. He stepped over the book-barrier at the top of the stairs.

"Esme thought that since half of the pantry was robbed you wouldn't need dinner. Is that correct?"

We all nodded.

"Yup. Snacks are all gone," Emmett said. He, Edward, and Jasper hadn't actually eaten anything all day (duh), but acted like they were going to before starting food fights. I was the only one that actually knew what they were doing. Now there were pretzels, chips, and chex mix bits all over, and empty drinks.

"It is a mess up here, but I'm still glad that you had fun," Carlisle said before muttering something about loopholes again.

"Just out of curiosity, is the remote hidden outside?" Jasper asked, taking a pretzel and throwing it into the air. He purposely missed it and it went skidding across the floor, which caused giggles from Jadyn. That made us all laugh with her.

"Yes. I'm actually surprised that you figured that out," Carlisle said.

"Well, Alice thought of it, and we thought that it sounded like something that you would do," Emmett said, smiling. Alice was also smiling.

"Alright. Well, it's almost 10:00 pm, actually, so just so that you're all aware," Carlisle said, and I blinked. Wow. I hadn't noticed. Not even through the windows. I glanced outside and saw that it was pitch black, and a few stars were twinkling.

"We should go downstairs," Edward said, standing.

"Shouldn't we clean up first?" I asked.

"It's alright. Esme and I will have plenty of time to clean later," Carlisle said.

Jasper turned off the tv, and Emmett got the music. We grabbed Jadyn's stuff while Rosalie held on to her, then followed Carlisle down to the third floor.

"Why don't you and Alice put Jadyn into bed," Carlisle suggested as we got to the third floor. They nodded, and Edward scooped me up in his arms.

With a nod, we zoomed down the stairs.

Edward set me down on a couch in the living room.

"Why the hell did we have to come down so quickly?" I asked as the other sat down at couches. Esme was already here.

"We need to discuss something while they're not around," Esme said.

"What?" Jasper asked.

"Us. What we are. Since they have decided to stay here, we're going to have to tell them that we're vampires eventually. The question is, now or when you four leave?" Carlisle explained.

"Well, if they were told now, Bella would be here to help them out, but if we weren't here, there would only be two of us to deal with," Edward said from besides me.

"I agree. They both have their ups and downs," Jasper said, and Emmett nodded.

"What do you think, Bella?" Esme asked me.

"I don't know. It's not my place to have a say," I said.

"Of course it is! Just knowing about us gives you a say," Edward said.

"Absolutely," Carlisle agreed.

"Let's take a vote," Emmett smiled. Carlisle looked hesitant.

"I vote we tell them now. I want to see their reactions," Emmett smirked. Carlisle sighed.

"Fine. We'll try voting. That's one for now," he said.

"I think later, that way we're not here to scare them," Jasper said sadly.

"Now," Edward said. It was my turn next.

"Now, I guess. I can help them with it..." I said.

"I think that later would be best," Esme said.

"I'm going to have to go with what Bella said. I think that, though they have each other, they'll need someone else-human-who already knows and has coped with the fact," Carlisle said.

"So we'll tell them tonight, once they come down," Esme said, and we nodded.

After that conversation was over, Emmett and Jasper began bickering over stupid things, and Esme and Carlisle talked quietly.

Edward suddenly stood and motioned for me to follow him. I got up, and looked around. None of the others seemed to care, so I followed him. He led out the door and on to the front porch.

"What are we-" I began, but he kept walking. I followed him into the sand, and we walked to where the waves met the shore.

He pulled me close to him. I didn't have a clue what this was about, but I liked it. It was nice out here, and it was just Edward and I.

"Bella, I'm not sure what will happen tonight when we tell them, or tomorrow when we leave," Edward said as I was pulled against his chest. We were both facing out into the sea, so I couldn't look at his eyes.

"What do you mean?" I asked, worried.

"Alice and Rosalie are just... having thoughts about tomorrow. It has to do with us leaving them and most likely not coming back."

What was he talking about?

"Can't you tell me?" I asked.

"I can't, because I'm not even sure what could happen. Or if it's good or bad. I just know that Jasper and Alice and Emmett and Rosalie have grown rather close-" I nodded "-and I don't know how they're going to take separation, or the fact of what we are," Edward said.

We stood silently for a moment, but then I had to ask.

"Edward, why did you bring me out here?" I asked.

"Well, one, I wanted time alone with you," he said. Then he spun me around so that I was looking into his golden eyes. We were close. His arms were wrapped around my back, and I had my hands on his chest. Our faces were inches apart.

"And two, I just want you to know how much you mean to me, and how happy I am to have you without you having to chose between two things. Between two different things that would affect the outcome of your destiny. Because whatever happens tomorrow, or tonight, I know that you'll be coming with us on the ship no matter what, and I won't have to loose you. I love you, Bella."

With that, he leaned in closer, closing the distance between us. I closed my eyes, knowing what was about to happen. When his cold, smooth lips pressed against mine, I felt my heart flutter. Sparks flew, and I returned the kiss. I stood on my toes and pressed my lips into his, and he did the same back. Our lips moved in harmony, and I wrapped my arms around his neck and to the back of his head. He pulled me right up against him, and I tangled my fingers in his beautiful bronze hair as his soft lips crashed gently against mine.

When we broke apart, my lungs were burning for air. I caught my breath, looking up into his deep, beautiful eyes.

"I love you, Bella," he said again, pressing his lips to mine for a second before pulling back again.

"I love you, too, Edward," I said.

"Let's go in. Alice and Rosalie must be down by now, and we'll need to be there," he suggested.

I nodded, and we slowly walked back to the house with his arm around my waist and mine around his.

When we were right outside the door, Edward stopped and looked at me. I looked back.

"Remember, Bella. No matter what, I'll always love you," Edward said before leaning down and kissing me. I kissed him back, but we soon broke away, smiling.

He put his arm around my waist again, and a hand on the door knob. He pushed open the door, and we walked into the living room to see Alice and Jasper sitting side by side on a couch with Emmett and Rosalie next to them. Carlisle and Esme were sitting on another couch, across from them.

Edward gently squeezed my side in reassurance and we sat down on a recliner, with me curled up on his lap.

Once we were looking at the others, Carlisle started talking.

"Now that everyone's here, we have something to tell you two. Something... big," he said. Alice and Rosalie looked at him with worry, and Edward pulled me closer.

"This could change how you think of... well, everything that's going to happen in the future, and you may do whatever you like after you know," Carlisle said. Rosalie and Alice exchanged worried glances.

"Rosalie, Alice, besides Bella, you two are sitting in a room filled with vampires."

**A/N: eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeekk!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! omg this chappie was HUGE event wise!!! i was thinking of putting the telling alice and rosalie part in another chappie, but i thought wth? ill just put it now! soooo how do u like it? the kissing part? the telling them part??? plz! i need feedback!!! plz review and tell me how u like it plzzz!!!!! this is BIG!!!**

**~mAdDy RoSe  
**


	20. Chapter 20

**A/N: yay!!! imsohappy cuz i got lotsa positive feedback on the kiss!!! thank u all reviewers so much!!! yippee!!!**

**disclaimer: yea i so dont own twilight... *sigh***

"Rosalie, Alice, besides Bella, you two are sitting in a room filled with vampires."

Alice and Rosalie stared at him.

I sat on Edward's lap, tense, while watching them.

Alice opened her mouth to say something twice, but closed it again each time. Rosalie finally said something.

"Are you mad?! What are you trying to say?! That you don't want us to stay here with you?! Because if that's the case, you didn't have to try and make us afraid of you by telling us that you were vampires!" Rosalie practically yelled, jumping up from her seat by Emmett.

Nobody spoke.

"No, Rosalie," Alice finally whispered, and our gazes turned to her.

"I... I think that they're telling the truth." Her voice grew a bit stronger.

"Haven't you noticed that there's something... off about them? I have, but I still haven't been able to place it... I know that it seems senseless, but it would explain it..." she trailed off.

"Are you saying that you believe them?" Rosalie turned to Alice and threw her hands up.

Alice nodded, and Rosalie looked pissed. She strode to the stairs and up them. I guessed that she was going to her room.

"That went well," Emmett muttered sarcastically.

Nobody said anything. We were all deep in thought.

Edward was gazing at the wall with a distant look in his eyes, and Carlisle looked to be thinking. Esme was watching him, waiting for him to continue. Emmett and Jasper were looking at their hands, which were folded as they leaned on their knees with their elbows.

Alice shifted, bringing her knees up to her chest and hugging them as she leaned deep into the couch, as if trying to bury herself in it. Her eyes were wide and she looked afraid.

I remembered how I felt when I had found out about what the pirate crew was. I was terrified and hopeless. She was in a different situation, but she must still be terrified. Maybe hopeless.

"It's alright, Alice," Carlisle said, looking at her kindly. She didn't look comforted.

"We're not going to hurt you," Jasper said, and I felt a small wave of calmness rush over the room. It seemed to help Alice a bit, as she stopped trying to hide in the couch, but not much at all. Everything else was the same.

"But... you're vampires... you drink blood," she whispered. "I have blood."

"Yes, I should hope so," Emmett smiled. Alice looked even more terrified and seemed to stop breathing.

"Emmett Cullen! Get out of this room if you can't be serious!" Esme scolded, and Emmett's face fell.

"Sorry..." he muttered, looking down.

"Vampires do tyically drink blood," Carlisle said, "but we have our own diet. We're what you'd call vegetarian vampires. We don't drink human blood, only animal's."

Alice relaxed a bit but was still tense.

"Really, Alice. I'm human, like you, and I've been around them for a few weeks. I'm still here, aren't I?" I smiled kindly, and Alice relaxed some more.

"I guess..." she said.

"We know how to control our hunger," Carlisle said. "We've been doing it for hundreds of years."

"H-hundreds?" Alice asked, and the vampires chuckled.

"Yep," Jasper said, smiling. Alice looked at him with amazed and confused eyes that were still glazed with wariness.

When no one said anything for a minute, Esme turned to me.

"Bella, why don't you take Alice up to bed?" she asked. I nodded and Edward let me up. I walked over to Alice, who glanced around before letting her legs out of her grasp and standing. We walked over to the stairs and up them to the second floor silently.

When we got into Alice's room she sat on the bed and stared at me. I sat down next to her.

"Are they really vampires?" she asked me.

"Yes," I said. She didn't move or speak. "Are you alright?" I asked.

"I don't know. It's just... scary, I guess," she said.

"That's how I felt when I first found out. It was on the ship. I ran below decks and cried until I fell asleep," I told her.

"Why did you cry?" she asked, looking at me and shifting on the bed. I turned to face her.

"Well, I thought that the only reason they had kept me on the ship was for my blood. I had thought that Jasper and Emmett were my friends, and I was a wreck because I thought that they had betrayed me, and that they were going to hurt me. Edward and I didn't really get along, then, so I never really thought about what he would do," I explained.

"How did you know that they weren't going to harm you?" Alice asked.

"Well, after I woke up from crying myself to sleep, I decided that I might as well go up to the deck and face whatever was thrown at me, so I did. When I got up there, Jasper and Emmett walked towards me while the rest of the crew stared at me.

I freaked out when they walked towards me. I thought that they were going to kill me there and then. Then they hugged me, and I knew that they weren't going to let any harm come to me. We went into a cabin, and they told me about their kind, and stories of how they became what they are," I said.

Alice sat still as she took in what I had told her.

"So... Jadyn, Rosalie, and I aren't going to get hurt by them?" she asked.

"No. You're safe," I said. "You look tired. Get under the covers, and try to get some sleep," I suggested.

She did so, and I left her to sleep.

***

"Come on Bella! Today's a big day! Get up!"

I felt my bed shake and opened my eyes to see Alice on it.

"You sure look better today," I commented sarcastically, still in my grumpy wake-up mood.

"Hmph! Get up!" Alice said, literally pulling me out from under the covers and on to the floor.

"Come on! Today's the last day I'll see you! We're all going to spend each moment together! I've already picked out your outfit for the day!" she squealed as a pulled myself off of the carpet, groaning.

I stood and looked on the end of the bed to see a green sundress and light yellow shorts sitting there.

"Now go and take a shower! And be quick!" Alice said, walking out of my room and shutting the door.

I sighed before picking up the clothes and walking into the bathroom. I placed my outfit on the counter and looked in the mirror. I looked like hell. My hair was tangled and messy, and my eyes looked dead. I yanked a brush through my hair as the water warmed up.

I enjoyed the hot shower as much as I could, remembering that this would be the last one I would get for quite a long time.

When the hot water was gone, I reluctantly dried off and threw on the sundress and shorts. I combed through my hair (which was now untangled and neat) and looked in the mirror.

When I saw myself, I smiled in approval of what Alice had chosen for me. The green sundress made my brown hair look rich in color, along with adding some sparkle to my brown eyes.

I walked out of the bathroom and threw my pjs on the bed before going out on to the balcony.

Today was great. There was a lot of wind, but not enough to make you miserable. It carried the smell of the ocean, and made my hair fly to the side. The sun was shining with only a few white, puffy clouds in the sky, and the waves coming into the ocean looked calm.

"Ready for today?" a velvety voice asked as I felt two arms wrap around my waist and a chin rest on my head. Edward.

"Mostly. I haven't even started getting my stuff together, though," I told Edward.

"Esme will help us later. She can do it real quickly."

"I would think so, with that speedy vampire thing your family has going," I commented, smiling. He chuckled and I turned in his arms to face him.

"How's Rosalie taking... knowing?" I asked.

"Rosalie seems a bit... uneasy, but Alice went up with her this morning and convinced her that we really were vampires. She told her what you told her, I think. That seemed to help a lot," Edward said. I nodded, lost in thought.

"Edward, what will the crew think of... us?" I asked. His forehead creased as he looked at me.

"The crew can think whatever they want. Of course, if they say, do, or think something that they shouldn't about you, they'll be off to the bottom of the ocean," he said. I looked at him. He looked serious.

"Edward! Don't just start... killing them because of me! Especially if all that they do is think it!" I said.

"I don't want anything to happen to you. You're mine. I've waited hundreds of years for you, and now you're here. I'm not going to let any of them get in the way," he said, leaning in and pressing his lips against mine shortly before pulling away.

"Possesive much?" I asked.

"Yes. Very," he chuckled. "Anyway, I'll be giving you your own cabin. It will be just down a short hall from mine, so I'll be near."

I knew that I must look surprised. I hadn't really thought about the rooming. Of course, he would need his own cabin back.

"Thanks," I said.

"Anything for you," he said, kissing me again. This time the kiss was longer, and I was really beginning to enjoy it when I heard a wolf-whistle.

We both broke apart and spun around to see Emmett, Jasper, Alice, and Rosalie standing in the doorway of my room. They were all smiling, and Emmett was laughing. I blushed a deep red, and he laughed harder.

"What do you want?" Edward snapped at his brother.

"Well, we were just wanting to see if you weren't busy, but apparently you are, so we'll just leave you to your business," Jasper said, turning.

"Wait! What do you want?" I asked, and he spun back around to face me, smiling.

"We were actually wondering if you two love birds would like to join us on the beach for lunch. It's almost noon, and Esme's making a meal. Carlisle's taking the day off to spend it with us, so he's here, too," Jasper said.

"Of course! Let's go," I said, and Edward and I followed them back through my room and down to the first floor.

Esme was walking out of the kitchen with a tray of sandwiches and a pitcher of lemonade.

"Boys, go get the rest of the food," Esme told them. Edward, Emmett, and Jasper were gone and back within seconds, holding more trays of food and drink. Alice and Rosalie looked a bit uneasy with the speed thing, but didn't comment.

When Carlisle appeared holding Jadyn by Esme, we went out on to the beach and down to the shore where beach towels and big, rainbow umbrellas were already set up. I sat down on a towel by Edward and Rosalie.

When the food was set in the middle, and Rosalie, Alice, and I each had drinks, we loaded our plates with the delicious-looking sandwiches along with some fresh cut fruit and chips.

"Mmmm..." we said as we each bit into a sandwich.

"These are great, Esme!" Alice said after swallowing the first bite. Rosalie and I nodded enthusiastically while taking another bite.

"Thank you!" Esme said.

We ate and talked until the food was gone, then we talked some more as the food settled as we passed Jadyn around.

After an hour, Emmett turned to Alice, Rosalie, and I and grinned evilly.

"I hope that you girls don't mind getting your hair wet," he said.

Before he could move, we were running away along the shore.

Within seconds, however, Edward, Emmett, and Jasper were pulling us into the waves. Stupid vampire speed...

I laughed and kicked, but Edward wouldn't let go. They pulled us into the waves.

"Come on!" Jasper said as Alice squealed when the waves crashed against her legs.

"It's just a bit of water!" Emmett said.

"Yes! A bit of salty seawater!" Rosalie screamed at him. He chuckled and dropped her.

She was only waist deep in the ocean, but before she could steady herself, a wave pushed her off of her feet, and her head went under.

Seconds later, she emerged, soaked to the bone, with an enraged look on her face. Emmett laughed.

"I can't BELIEVE that you just did that!" Rosalie screamed as Emmett held his sides in laughter. Edward, Jasper, Alice and I were all chuckling, too, until I felt the arms around me disappear and a cold gush of water hit my face.

I went below the waves, and yanked myself up to see a laughing Edward.

Jasper and Emmett were laughing, too, and I could hear Carlisle and Esme laughing from our spot on the shore with Jadyn.

I looked over at Alice, who was soaked too, and had the water up to her ribcage. It was only up past my hips.

I was about to start yelling at Edward, but then I had a better idea. With an evil grin, I splashed as much water as I could up into his face.

He stopped laughing as some of the salty water went into his mouth, and looked at me. I felt the eyes of everyone else on me, and then two more splashes. I looked over to see Jasper and Emmett dripping water like Edward. Alice, Rosalie, and I broke out laughing at the mad look on their faces.

We made our way back to the shore to Carlisle, Esme, and Jadyn, who were also laughing, but before we got there, a huge spray of water splattered against our backs.

We turned around to see the guys laughing.

"SPLASH FIGHT!" Emmett yelled, and we started soaking one another with seawater. We switched sides. Once it was Rosalie, Jasper, and I against Alice, Emmett, and Edward, and once it was Edward and I against everyone. I didn't like that pairing very much.

We plopped back down on to the towels when the sun was on the horizon. We would need to get to port soon. Esme and Carlisle had disappeared into the house with Jadyn a while ago to pack all of our stuff, so I didn't need to worry about that. Alice, Rosalie, Jadyn, Carlisle, and Esme would be coming with us to see us off, so they would be going to the town, too.

For a while, we just lay there on our backs, looking up at the sky while we dried. Then, when Carlisle and Esme appeared holding Jadyn, we stood up and stretched, walking over to them.

"We'll leave the stuff on the beach out. Nothing will happen to it," Esme said as she gave us all a pair of shoes. Rosalie, Alice, and mine were a pair of tan, leather sandels that had wide straps. They would be fine on the ship.

Once we all had shoes on, I looked over at the pile of bags by Carlisle.

"We'll carry them. They're all packed," Carlisle said when he saw me looking.

"Are we all ready to go?" Esme asked.

"Yup. I'm set," Emmett said, and the rest of us nodded.

"Then let's go," Carlisle said, picking up half of the bags. Esme grabbed the other half.

"Bella, get on my back." I stared at Edward when he said this.

"You can't seriously carry us to town!" I exclaimed.

"Course not. We'll just carry you until we get near," Emmett said with a shrug, and motioned for Rosalie to get on his own back. Jasper did the same, and Rosalie, Alice, and I exchanged a glance and then a shrug.

With one last look at the big white house and the rolling waves, I climbed on to Edward's back, and we were off.

**A/N: k so this was kinda a short play-y chappie, which weve had a few of, i kno, but i wanted them to spend the last day together.**

**also, i just had a great idea that'll make this story interesting and better and exciting!!!! yay!!! it still goes with what'll happen eventually, but still, this adds much more excitement. it'll begin in the next chappie, and id be happy to hear ur guesses for wat it is!!! yay!!!**

**plz review with guesses!!!! (even though this chappie was dull and too much like others!!!) plz review!!!**

**~maddy rose**


	21. Chapter 21

**A/N: ohhh i luved the guesses if u guessed!!! we'll just have to see if any of u r right though!!! yay!!! i luv my reviewers!!! u guys r so awesome!!! thank u so much!!!**

**k this chappie is the own with the twistyish thingy in it, sooooo....... here ya go!!!**

**disclaimer: i dont own twilight**

"And this is where you get off."

We stopped and Edward let me slip off of his back, as did Emmett and Jasper with Rosalie and Alice. Ugh!!! I was going to miss them so much!!!

We were a couple miles out of town, but travelers would start appearing at any point now, so we had to walk.

"It shouldn't take too long to walk to town, but we'll need to keep a quick pace," Carlisle said.

Rosalie took Jadyn from Esme, and we began to walk.

It took us about 45 minutes before we began to see signs that we were in the town. Houses lined the streets, and people were walking along the road. As we continued to walk, larger buildings began to appear, and the streets grew busier. I could smell the ocean distinctly again.

We got to the part of town where port was. I couldn't actually see the ocean yet because of the amount of people around us, but I knew that it was near. I could see the sails of ships risen above the crown and buildings, but I couldn't tell which was Edward's ship.

"Where should we look for them?" I asked.

"We need to get closer, then we can look around for either the ship, or a member of the crew. The ship should be in the emptier area's that aren't for unloading," Edward replied as we wove our way through the people. Edward was leading the way, with me holding his hand, and the others were right on our heels.

We got past the bulk of the crowd and into a less busy area. I could actually see the ground now.

"There!" Jasper called, pointing ahead to the left. Of course he would be the first to see the ship. He was what, 6 foot 3? He could probably see over all of the heads.

"How tall are you?" I asked him.

"Six foot three. Why?" he said.

"What?! Lucky!" Alice cried at his side. "I'm only four foot eleven!"

I looked at them both in comparison. She _did_ look miniature besides him. She only came up to his forearms.

"Well, I can help with that," Jasper said, and he knelt down. "Hop on my shoulders."

She looked hesitant at first, and then climbed on his shoulders with a smile. He stood, and she looked around, obviously enjoying the view. I was an average size. Five four. Edward could only be about six inches talled, I guessed.

Emmett, Rosalie, Jadyn, Carlisle, and Esme had been watching with smiles, and I looked up to see Edward looking where Jasper had pointed.

"I think that he's right. Let's head over that way," Edward said, and led us through the people again.

When we got closer to the ship, Emmett rejoiced.

"Yep! That's the ship alright! And I think that that's Barnes and Colton standing by it!" he said, grinning widely.

"Stupid vampire vision..." I muttered. They all laughed, and I blushed.

We got to the ship, and Edward stood at the front of our group.

"Colton! Barnes!" he called, and two beautiful yet not-as-beautiful-as-the-cullens men snapped their heads up. When they saw Edward. They stood straight.

"Captain!" they replied.

"We're back, obviously." He paused. "Well, you're back, and we're back here at port. Is the ship in utter chaos?"

"No, captain. Everything's in order," the man with the blond hair said.

"Glad to here it, Colton," Edward said. The two men finally looked behind Edward and at the Cullens, Rosalie, Alice, Jadyn, and me.

"A-are they all coming, too, Captain?" the other one that must be Barnes asked.

"No. Just Whitlock, Emmett, Bella, and myself," he said. I noticed that he used Jasper's first last name. He had told me that nobody thought of Emmett as serious enough to be addressed by McCartny, and I guessed that he used my first name because of our relationship. Jasper, however, was second in command, and Emmett was third. Emmett was also 'guard', for whenever it was needed.

Barnes nodded.

Edward turned back to us and began to speak.

"Well, I guess that-"

"Can we see the ship? Please?!" Alice whined, slipping off of Jasper's shoulders.

"I don't think-"

"Please?" Alice pleaded. Edward must have known that she would win anyway, and it didn't help matters when Jasper said, "It wouldn't hurt, Edward," he said. Edward sighed.

"Fine. But we can't take forever. You guys will want to get out of the town _before_ dark," he said, looking at Carlisle, who nodded.

"Yay! Let's go!" she said, tugging on Jasper's arm.

"Barnes, Colton, I want you two to stand guard out here. No one else is to board, hear me?" Edward commanded in his "Captain" voice.

"Yes Captain!" they both said, and Edward began to lead us up the thick board that connected to the ship's deck.

When we were almost up, Edward wrapped an arm around my waist. At first I was worried about what the crew would think, but then I took a deep breath and relaxed. Edward was Captain. He could knock the crap out of the crew. Their opinions didn't matter.

We walked on to the familiar deck, with all of the others behind us, and the crew looked up from where they were lazing around. Their faces displayed shock as they saw Edward's arm around my waist, and I blushed, feeling very self-conscious.

One of the men stood from where he was leaning against the railing, and strode toward us.

"Captain?" the man asked, and I saw his eyes move from Edward's face to mine and back again. I blushed more, and leaned into Edward, as if hiding.

"I hope that you kept the ship and its crew well and intact, Palmer," Edward said in his "Captain" voice.

"Yes sir, Captain. The crew's all fed and everything went fine," Palmer replied.

"Great." Edward raised his voice for the crew to hear for what he said next.

"As you all know, Carlisle and Esme are the adopted parents of my brothers and myself. This is Carlisle, and this is Esme. These are our friends, Alice, Rosalie, and Jadyn. They're just here to look at the ship before saying good-bye, because _Alice_ insisted and _Jasper_ agreed. And you all know Bella. She will be staying with us, but not as a member of the crew," Edward said, and they all looked at me with curiosity, and in some cases, a bit of something else. Edward caught this.

"You are not to harm her or touch her. Treat her as you would myself, or the consequences shall be more severe than if it were actually myself," he growled, pulling me tightly against his side. "Her cabin shall be given. Once it is, no one is to go into it without the permission of her or myself. No one."

The whole crew nodded, looking a bit afraid.

"Get the ship prepared for setting off." Edward dismissed the attention of the crew, and they all turned away and began to busy themselves.

We turned back to my friends.

"That went well..." Emmett muttered.

I looked up at Edward's face. He looked pissed. Really pissed. His eyes were dark and narrowed, and he was tense. His jaw was set and firm.

"Edward..." I cautioned. He softened a bit, but I could tell that he was still mad.

"Come on. Let's get your stuff into your cabin," he said.

"Oh! I'm coming too! I want to help you organize!" Alice cried.

"Okay," I sighed.

Edward led Esme, Alice, and I into a hallway right off of Edward's cabin, and to the last door on the left.

"This-" Edward pushed a small key into the lock "-is your new cabin."

He pushed open the door to a cabin that was much like his own, but a bit smaller. I didn't mind at all.

The cabin had a bed in the middle with a nightstand besides it, and a dresser in the corner. A wooden desk with a chair sat to my right, and a porthole in the opposite wall. I was happy to have a window. Candles were placed on the desk and bedside table.

"I'll leave you ladies to unpack while I make sure everything's alright," Edward said. He left my side, and Alice bounced into the cabin.

"Let's unpack!" she said, taking the two bags from Esme.

"I packed some extra stuff, Bella. Things that you may or may not need," Esme said.

"Thank you."

We pulled my clothes out of my bags, and I found a couple pairs of extra shoes that Esme had placed into a bag. We were going to clean everything, but when we looked around it was already spotless and had very little dust. The floor was clean, and the bed had clean sheets laid on the end of it along with two pillows and a comforter. The desk was a bit scratched up, but other than that it was in great shape, as was the chair.

Once we had placed everything in a drawer in the dresser, we sat on the now-made bed.

"Well, it looks like you're all set, Bella. Carlisle should have put the bag of food and drink where it goes, so we don't need to worry about that," Esme said. I nodded, and we stood up.

"And Bella, if you need a place to stay or just want to visit, you can always visit the girls, Carlisle, and I."

"Thank you Esme," I said, hugging her.

We walked out on to the deck.

"About time. The sun's almost completely gone beneath the horizon." Edward's voice jumped out at us.

"It's alright, Edward. We'll be fine," Esme comforted.

"I hope that you're right. The town is full of creeps at night," Emmett said, walking up to us with Rosalie and Jadyn by his side. Carlisle and Jasper showed up, too.

"Are we ready?" Carlisle asked.

"I think that we're all set," Esme said, and we all walked over to the plank that led down to the ground.

"I'm going to miss you!" Alice said, jumping on me. I hugged her back, fighting the tears that had come without my permission all of a sudden.

"I'm going to miss you too!" I said.

We let go of each other, and Esme took her place as Alice moved on to Emmett.

"Thank you so much for everything, Esme," I whispered.

"I'm so glad that Edward found you," she whispered back.

I hugged Carlisle next.

"Thank you for fixing up my shoulder and everything else," I told him.

"It was no problem."

I went over to where Rosalie and Jadyn were standing.

"Bye Rosalie." She handed Jadyn off to Emmett and enveloped me in a hug.

"Thanks for helping us," she said. I had no response. The tears were too close to spilling.

After Rosalie, I took Jadyn from Emmett, and the two of them hugged.

"Babye, Jadyn," I said, shaking the baby's hand and smiling. She giggled, and I felt a tear slide down my cheek.

"Alright. I think that it's time we go," Carlisle said, looking at the sky.

I watched as Alice pulled herself out of Jasper's arms, crying freely.

"Good-bye..." I said as they headed down the plank.

Once they were down, I watched as they turned to face us.

The ship started moving, and I felt my tears soak my shirt.

I watched the five figures grow smaller and smaller as the ship moved farther and farther away from port.

Three of the figures moved away from the other two. I couldn't tell who was still there and who had left. I turned away.

They were there. I was here, with Jasper and Emmett. With Edward.

I decided to go and see my friends.

"Are they gone?" Jasper asked sadly as I approached the three of them.

"No, they're still-"

My reply was cut off when a shrill, distant scream came from the direction we had just left. I didn't know who it belonged to, but Edward, Jasper, and Emmett's faces snapped toward port and I could tell that they knew who it was with their vampire hearing.

"Alice," they all murmered.

**A/N: k i kno this wasnt too exciting, but ill update soon. and it was better than just another playing chappie. plus i really really want to hear guesses on why alice screamed!!! plz review!!! tell me if u thought this chappie was at least a bit better than another playing one!!! plz review with ur opinions!!! come on guys im so close to 300 reviews!!! plz make it happen with this chappie!!!**

**~maddy rose**


	22. Chapter 22

**A/N: k guys, i change pov in this chappie cuz i needed too, but it wont happen again unless i have to. this is a big chappie that begins the REAL plot of the story. i just needed everything else before this point to put the story together, but this chappie begins the real plot, and ill need feedback at the end of it really badly**

**this chappie is dedicated to all my loyal reviewers, and the one who knows the dry pasta joke ;) thank u all so much!!! ur reviews keep me typing this story!!!**

**disclaimer: i dont own twilight**

"Alice," they all murmered.

"Can you tell why?" I asked.

"No, but only three of them are there now. I can only make out three figures," Edward said.

"Three?!" I said, confused. "There were only two of them the last I saw!"

"Give me the spyglass," Edward demanded. Emmett pulled out something that looked like a miniature telescope from his pocket.

Edward took it and looked through it before gasping.

"What?!" the three of us asked. Jasper took the spyglass from Edward and looked through it. A look of alarm spread across his face, and Emmett took the small device. Why was I last?

Emmett grew serious as he looked through it. He handed it off to me.

I put the spyglass up to my eye and looked at port What I saw horrified, terrified, and stunned me.

Alice and Rosalie were still at port, but two men were holding them and covering their mouths.

But what caused the wide range of horrid emotions was the man holding Rosalie with a knife against her throat. He had long black hair and very tan skin.

As I looked, the man that could change what I had planned to be my future looked up, and I saw him staring at our ship, and I could swear that he was looking directly at me.

***

**I needed Alice POV for this part, so this is in Alice's point of view:**

"I'm going to see what's taking Carlisle so long," Esme said from beside Rosalie and I. She walked away to find Carlisle, who was planning on getting us a place to stay for the night since it was so late. He had Jadyn.

"I'm going to miss them so much," I sighed.

"Same here... But you'll especially miss Jasper, won't you?" Rosalie raised an eyebrow.

"Hmph! You're one to be making accusations! I bet that you're missing Emmett already!" I retorted.

"Of course I am. I miss all four of them, though," she said, stopping a fight before it began. We both sighed.

We stood watching as the ship became more and more distant. The sun was about to completely disappear beneath the waves, and all that I could see was the ship's outline.

When there was no point in standing and watching anymore, Rosalie spoke.

"We should probably find Carlisle, Esme, and Jadyn now."

I nodded.

We turned around and began to walk. It was now dark out, and there were very few people out around this part of port at the time.

Suddenly I felt the presence of Rosalie disappear from my side. I turned and looked around, worried, to see a man about eigthteen years old with long black hair and dark tan skin holding my friend tightly a few yards back. He had a knife to her throat. I did the only thing I could.

I screamed.

"AHHHHHHHHHH-"

My scream was cut off when a hand closed over my mouth and I was pulled back against something. A person. I looked up to see a man much like the other holding me.

Then others appeared. They leaned against barrels and benches as they watched us struggle.

I tried to scream and bite him, but his hand was too strong. I kicked as much as I could, but it didn't make a difference. I felt a cold blade against my throat, and stopped struggling. Jasper! Come help us!

I couldn't help thinking it as tears welled up in my eyes. The man dragged me over to where Rosalie was being held. She already had tears running down her face.

"Don't put up a fight. We'll win," Rosalie's captor threatened us. Then he looked up at the ship, and I could tell that he was focusing very hard on something.

They just stood there holding us for about five minutes, until I looked at the ship, too. I would've gasped if I could. The ship appeared to be getting closer.

The men holding us must've noticed, too, because the one holding Rosalie growled.

"Let's get out of here," he said, and we were roughly turned.

They began to drag us away from the port part of town, with the other men following, and I panicked. What were they going to do with us?! What if they were going to rape us?! I sobbed uncontrollably into the man's hand.

We seemed to be taking forever, and after awhile, I noticed that we were going past the same spots twice or three times.

"Confuse the scent..." I thought I heard the man holding my friend mutter. He seemed to be the leader of the group.

We continued like this for a while, and when we got to a more empty and dirty part of town I began to panic. Rosalie and I were still sobbing, and the men were still roughly dragging us.

Eventually we got into a deserted area, and the men let go of us by a wall. Rosalie and I back against the wall together as they got in a loose semicircle as the leader of the group stood in front of us.

Oh please no! Please just let us go! I don't want to lose my dignity yet! I wanted to scream these things at them, but I couldn't make my mouth open.

"My name is Jacob Black, and I have a few questions for you two," he said in a deep, rough voice. Jacob Black. "If you do not answer truthfully, we will know, and there _will_ be consequences." My blood ran cold at his words, and Rosalie squeezed my hand tightly. I squeezed hers back.

"First off, how are the two of you involved with that ship and the people on it?" I couldn't answer, and nor could Rosalie, I guessed. My voice was stuck in my throat. I tried to speak, but couldn't. I choked on my words.

"Answer me!"

When neither of us answered, Jacob Black got an enraged look on his face, and he took a step forwards, pinning me to the wall by my throat.

I couldn't breathe in his grasp. I gasped hopelessly for air.

"I said, _answer m-_"

Suddenly I could breathe again, and I fell to the ground, panting and sobbing.

A cold pair of arms wrapped around me, and I felt my heart flutter. I knew whose arms they were.

**Bella POV:**

We had just found Alice and Rosalie. I saw them. I froze when I saw what was happening. It was who I had feared and suspected.

Jacob Black, a member of my father's navy, had a sobbing Alice pinned to a wall with a huge, tan hand wrapped around her throat. Rosalie had just been thrown to the ground beside her.

In less than a second, the people beside me were gone, and I ran forward and Jasper threw Jacob off of Alice, and against the ground with most of his strength. I thought that I heard something crack.

I pulled out my sword and faced one of the men who had turned around when we came. Edward, Emmett, and Carlisle were fighting the other men as best as they could without giving themselves away, and Esme was by Rosalie with Jadyn.

Before the other man pulled out his sword I glanced over at Jacob, who was glaring at me with surprise.

I crossed blades with the man in front of me, and before I could get a second hit, the man collasped to reveal Emmett standing behind him with a blood covered sword.

I quickly got rid of another man, and turned around to see the last of them running off. It was just us now.

I looked around to see that we had killed four of the men, but none of them were Jacob. I panicked.

"What is it, Bella? They're all gone," Edward said, appearing at my side as the others made sure that the girls were alright.

"Jacob... he-he got away! NO!" I yelled the last part due to the panic.

"Jacob? Who's Jacob?"

"You mean you knew one of these men?"

"Who were they?"

"Bella, why are you so worried?"

Questions came from Edward, Emmett, Carlisle, and Esme.

"Jacob-Jacob Black. He's a member of my father's navy. Yes, I know him. We never actually talked, but he knows me. I recognize him. I don't know why he's here, but now he's going to go back and tell my father where I am!" I screamed at the end.

"Wh-what?" Rosalie hiccuped. Of course, she didn't know what was going on. I had never told her or Alice that I was a princess.

"Rosalie, this is Princess Isabella Swan," Emmett said. Rosalie gaped at me, and I saw Alice look up from Jasper's arms.

"How come you never told us?" Rosalie asked, and I shrugged.

"I never thought that it was needed. You would just think of me differently," I said.

"Carlisle, they were looking at the ship," Jasper said.

"Great. Just what we need," Carlisle muttered.

"They-they saw us get on, I think. They asked us how we were involved with the ship and the people on it," Alice spoke quietly.

Carlisle smacked his forehead, and Esme looked concerned and worried as she held Jadyn.

"Great... so not only do they know the ship, but they also know who I'm with," I said.

"Yes," Carlisle agreed, deep in thought.

"What do we do now?" Esme asked. Carlisle looked at Edward.

"I suppose that you're right..." Edward muttered, looking at him.

"What?" Emmett asked.

"They'll be after us all. They know where we are. We're in danger as long as we're here," Carlisle said.

I couldn't take hearing all of this. I didn't want anyone hurt or threatened on my behalf.

"I'll just go find him. He can take me to my father, and I'll make up some sort of excuse as to why I was with you guys in the firs-"

"_No_, Bella," Edward said, pulling me against his side.

"You're not leaving us. We'll make it through this. There's only one option that may get us out of this, but we want you here. I need you here," Edward said, looking into my eyes.

"I don't want anyone to-"

"Bella, we do all want you here. And do you really want to go back? If you do, you may go, but if not, you're staying," Jasper said. I sighed as they all stared me down. I knew that they had won, and I really did want to stay with them.

"In that case, there's really only one thing that will at least buy us some time and temporary safety," Carlisle said, looking at us all. "Alice, Rosalie, would you be opposed to going with the boys on the ship, and heading away from here?"

I was shocked. Alice and Rosalie's faces brightened, as did Emmett and Jasper's.

"Of course not!" Alice said, but then her faced dropped. "But what about Jadyn?"

"We'll take care of her, if you'd trust us to. She can't go on the ship, and Carlisle and I shouldn't be too involved when they start looking. You could take her back when this is over, and-"

Esme was cut off as Rosalie and Alice hugged her.

"Thank you so much!" they said.

"So it's settled, then. We'll have to run back to the house and get your things, and quickly. There isn't much time. You should all be off as soon as possible. You have to get out of this area," Carlisle said.

"Let's get back to port, and we can stay on the ship while you two go pack," Edward said, looking at Esme and Carlisle, who both nodded. Esme handed Alice Jadyn, and when I blinked, there was nothing where they had stood.

***

We walked out on to the deck of the ship to see the crew look up at our arrival. Edward stepped forward.

"There's been a change of plans due to some recent... events. _Gentlemen_, welcome Alice and Rosalie to the ship."

He stepped aside and gestured to Rosalie and Alice, who still held Jadyn.

"The rules with them shall be the same as the rules I have for Bella, as will the consequences."

Jasper and Emmett growled at the men that were being rude. Those men soon looked away.

"We're just waiting for something, and then we need to go immediately, so be prepared. I'll explain everything later," Edward said, waving his hand to show that the crew was dismissed. He then turned to Rosalie and Alice.

"If any of them do or say anything rude or perverted, tell one of us," he said, and they nodded.

We sat on the deck and let Jadyn crawl around while we waited. Of course, someone was always right next to the baby. We didn't need her crawling over the side of the ship.

When Carlisle and Esme appeared again, we stood and I picked up Jadyn.

"Here are you're bags, and here's another with even more food and drink," Esme said, handing the girls each a couple stuffed bags.

"You need to get going now. It won't take long for Jacob to contact Bella's father," Carlisle said, and a few of the crew around us looked up at his words.

Edward nodded, and hugged his adoptive father. Emmett hugged Esme, and then Jasper hugged Carlisle. When I hugged Esme, I gave Jadyn off to Alice.

"Good-bye, Esme," I said.

"If you need anything at all, Bella, just contact us. We'll be happy to help," she whispered into my ear.

I hugged Carlisle next, thanking him. He told me the same thing as Esme had.

Once all of the hugs were given, and I had said bye to little Jadyn, we faced Carlisle and Esme, and Alice gave Jadyn to Esme reluctantly.

"Good luck," they both whispered, and then they were gone.

**A/N: k guys. so how do u like it? plz plz review i need reviews so much for this chappie!!! about jacob (im really sry if u like him, but plz dont hate me), about Alice and Rosalie going with them, about Carlisle Esme and Jadyn staying, about wat happens next, ets. plz!!! i need these feedbacks!!! plz review!!!**

**~maddy rose**


	23. Chapter 23

**A/N: yay im so happy u guys liked the last chappie!!! yippee!!! thank u so much all reviewers!!! u guys r awesome!!! luv u!!!**

**i am so sorry i didn't update yesterday. it was busy. im so sorry!**

**disclaimer: i dont own twilight, unless u count the copy of it i have in my room, then yea, i own it. :D**

Once Esme, Carlisle, and Jadyn had left, Edward told us which cabins that Rosalie and Alice were going to be staying in. Alice's was right across from mine, at the end of the short hallway, and Rosalie's was diagonal from mine.

We picked up their bags, and went to their rooms. Alice laid her bags on the bed, and we went to Rosalie's cabin.

"I'm sorry that this mess of mine made you guys have to come on this ship," I apologized after shutting the door and sitting on the bed.

"It's perfectly alright, Bella. We were going to miss you guys too much, anyway," Rosalie said.

"But why the hell didn't you tell us that you were a princess?!" Alice asked.

"I already told you," I said.

"Let's go out to the deck. I'm not in the mood to unpack yet. I'll do it later," Rosalie said, and I got up and followed them out on to the deck.

"Are you done already?" Edward's voice came from behind me, and I spun around to see him right behind me.

"We didn't feel like doing it now," Alice said, shrugging.

"Alright. In that case, you two haven't actually seen the whole ship, so I guess now is the right time to," Edward said to Rosalie and Alice.

"Whitlock! Emmett!" he called, and within seconds, Jasper and Emmett were behind him.

"Why don't you two show these two ladies around the ship," he suggested. They both smirked.

"Why? So you can spend time with Bella?" Emmett sneered.

"That's not a way to talk to your captain, McCartny," Edward said, and I could see that he was trying not to smile.

"We'll show them around," Jasper said, still grinning.

Edward nodded as the four of them walked away.

"Let's go over here," he said, pulling me over to the railing of the ship.

He wrapped his arms around me and put his chin on my head.

"I'm sorry that this happened," I said after a few moments of silence. "I'm sorry that I dragged you and the ship into this. You should've taken me back when I told you that I should go. Why didn't you?"

"For many reasons, I couldn't explain back at port. It just wasn't the time, and my family was watching," he said.

"What are they?" I asked.

"Well, one, the had already seen us. Two, even if we took you back they would ask why you were with us and who we were. Three, we want to help you. We don't want you to go. Four, you didn't want to go." He paused.

"And five, I don't ever want to be without you. I need you to be with me. You are what matters the most to me, now. I couldn't let you leave, even if I tried."

He spun me around, and leaned in, kissing me. I responded, and everything went quiet around us. The crew must be watching. Joy. I heard a wolf whistle that sounded very much like Emmett, and I just knew that Jasper was smiling.

However, I didn't pull back. I tangled my hands in his hair, and he placed his hands on my hips, lifting me on to his feet so that I didn't have to stretch. Our lips molded to each other's as he pressed his cold, smooth, soft lips against mine. I felt like I was on fire.

Finally we had to pull apart because I had collasped in his arms, gasping for air. He chuckled as he held me.

When the dizziness had gone away, I looked up to see the many eyes of the crew, Rosalie, and Alice. I met Alice's and Rosalie's, who were both smiling. I couldn't resist smiling back when I saw them.

"Alright crew, there's nothing more to see here," Jasper instructed.

"Yeah. Captain Lovebird doesn't need his own crew to see him drooling over a human," Emmett laughed. I glared at him, but Edward kissed my forehead and I immeadiately stopped.

"Let him go, love," he murmered.

"Fine. But I do have a few words I'd like to say to him," I said.

"And are they kind?"

"Well... no, not exactly, but-"

"Come on. You three should get some sleep. It's not even morning, yet," Edward said as he put an arm around my waist and led me over to where Emmett, Jasper, Rosalie, and Alice were standing.

"Is it bedtime for the humans?" Emmett asked, and Rosalie hit the back of his head before wincing.

"You really shouldn't hit me," Emmett said, grinning.

"Shut the hell up! I think my hand's broken," Rosalie said, holding her hand.

"Doubt that, but it is going to be extremely bruised," Jasper said.

Alice yawned, and I looked at her.

"We're going to bed now, before anyone ends up breaking something," I said.

I took a step towards the hallway, but Edward didn't let go. He spun me around and pecked my lips.

"Good night," he said, smiling at my dazed reaction.

"G'night..." I mumbled before turning back around. Jasper and Emmett were chuckling.

I grabbed Alice's arm, and went after Rosalie into the hallway. Once they were in their rooms, I was aware of eyes on the back of my head. I turned back around to see the boys still staring after us. Smirking, I went back out on to the deck to where they were still standing. I turned to Jasper and Emmett.

"So, are you two happy that Alice and Rosalie will be staying with us? After all, this does mean that you get to spend more time with them," I smirked.

"Shut up..." Emmett mumbled. Jasper glared, but neither of them denied me. Edward watched, smirking like me.

"Good night, then," I said, walking back to my room.

Once the door was closed behind me, changed into a pair of the pajamas that Esme had packed, and crawled into bed.

***

I woke up to see light shining brightly into the room through the porthole in the wall. It must be around the middle of the day.

Yawning, I pulled the covers off of me and stood. I walked over to the dresser and picked out a dark blue sundress, not really looking at what I picked. I grabbed some white shorts to go with it, and put them on.

After brushing my hair, I slipped a pair of sandles on and went out on to the deck.

"She's alive!"

Emmett's voice rang in my ears as he appeared in front of me.

"Yeah whatever. Where's Edward?" I asked.

"Somewhere. And Jasper's up steering with Alice." He smirked.

"Just because Rosalie doesn't seem to be awake doesn't mean that you can pick on us," I said. His smirk fell.

Smiling, I turned around to find Edward. I'll try his cabin.

I knocked on the wooden door twice before it swung open and I was quickly pulled inside before the door shut again.

"What was that for?" I asked, dizzy from the quick movement.

"Nothing," Edward said from his spot about two inches in front of me.

"Sure," I said, rolling my eyes, and standing on my toes so that my lips pressed against his.

After a repeat of last night, I pulled away.

"So, what are we doing today, Captain?" I asked. Edward brought me over to the wooden chair at his desk and sat me on his lap.

"Well, we have a few more days before we need to stop at an island for our needs, so we're heading as far from where Jacob saw us as possible. Your father may know by now that we have you and around where we are, so we have to get far away," he explained, and I nodded.

We sat in his cabin for about an hour, just spending time together, before getting up at a call from outside.

We walked out together quickly, and heard the same call from the crow's nest, alerting us that a ship was in our path. I looked at Edward, worried.

"No. I couldn't be your father yet."

I sighed in relief at his words.

"Whitlock! Emmett!" he called, and soon Jasper appeared in front of us. I was surprised to see that Alice was on Jasper's back, laughing.

Seconds later, Emmett and Rosalie walked up to us.

"What Captain?" Emmett asked.

"There's a ship in our path. They might see us and alert the authorities around here. You know what this means," he smiled at this last part, and Emmett and Jasper's eyes lit up.

"RAID!!!" Emmett shouted. I laughed and covered my ears along with the others.

"Yes, Emmett. Raid. Jasper, I need you to organize it, and Emmett will help prepare everyone," Edward instructed. The crew was already standing around after Emmett's call.

"I get to help," I told Edward. He frowned.

"I don't think-"

"I've been in fights before! Please!" I pleaded.

Edward looked unsure, but turned to Jasper and said, "Include Bella in your planning. Just try to make her less likely to be harmed."

Jasper nodded and looked at me. I ran over to where Alice and Rosalie were standing and waited for my orders.

**A/N: sry about the dull chappie. ill try to have the next one up tonight, but i cant promise anything!!! the next chappie will be more exciting. and if anyone has any good ideas for time killers on the ship, id appriciate them. plz review!!!**

**~maddy rose**


	24. Chapter 24

**A/N: k so lots of u guys said u wanted to see them kick some butt, so here we go!!! AND I DID UPDATE TWICE TODAY SO IM SO AWESOME!!! i toldja i would :D**

**oh, and a reviewer noticed that the vamps skin didnt sparkle. ive thought about that, and i just had to edit it out, or else bella wouldve known that they werent human when she first saw them in the sunlight. im sorry!!! i luv the sparklies too, but they just cant go in this story!!!**

**disclaimer: i dont own twilight**

As Jasper gave out orders, and Emmett helped prepare the weapons and crew, I waited to see what I would do. There were three groups: the fighting group, which fought the opposing crew, the raiding crew, who would get as much of the goods as they could as the fighters fought, and the defense group, which stayed on the ship and fought whoever dared to jump ships. The fighting group was the largest. Edward would be in it, along with Jasper, while Emmett was in the raiding group. Emmett was also in the defense group if defenders were needed.

"Bella, you'll be in the fighting group. I saw you fight last time, and you're not half bad. We'll get you a sword and dagger. Go in with Edward and myself, and do not do anything rash," Jasper instructed when he got to me. I nodded.

It felt strange listening to him give me orders. Odd. I wasn't used to taking orders. I was used to giving them. Plus, I wasn't used to Jasper telling me what to do, but it was the way of the ship.

I wasn't sure what to do as we waited to near the ship. The rest of the crew were getting ready, but I didn't know how to help, so I just stood there watching.

"It might be best if you change."

I jumped when I heard Edward's voice behind me and looked down at myself. Yes, I might want to change. A sundress and some shorts would not be the best for sword fighting.

"I don't have anyth-"

"Yes you do. Esme packed some. They are still men's clothes, but they'll fit you," Edward said, answering my unfinished question.

"Alright. I'll go do that, then," I said, nodding as I walked away from a smiling Edward and towards my cabin.

Once in my cabin, I started when I saw Alice and Rosalie sitting on my bed.

"Hi Bella!" Alice said cheerfully.

"What the hell are you two doing in here?! Don't you have your own cabins?!" I said, annoyed that they had startled me.

"Of course, but we knew that you would come in here to change," Rosalie said.

"Here are your clothes. They don't look very nice, do they?" Alice said, patting the pile of clothes beside her.

I undressed and began pulling the clothes on.

"Why do you want to fight?" Rosalie asked as I pulled a white, baggy shirt over my head.

"I'm not sure. I fought once before, and it felt great. I don't know why. It was just thrilling, and plus I just need something to do," I said as I tied a belt around my waist and pulled on some boots. Thankfully these fit me.

"That's strange. Why? You could die at any second," Alice said.

"I know. I guess that's just why it's so thrilling," I shrugged. "Now come on, I'd better get out to the deck."

We stood and left my cabin and I made my way over to where Edward and Jasper were standing.

"Oh there you are. Emmett has your weapons," Jasper said as I neared them. I looked for Emmett and then walked over to him.

"There's Bella! Here are your killer supplies," Emmett said, handing me a sword which I stuck in its hold in my belt. Then I took a dagger from him and stuck it in the opposite side of my belt, by the canteen. I ignored his comment.

"Get ready!" I heard Jasper yell, and Emmett and I joined our groups. I stood between Jasper and Edward. They were both smiling.

"You two look excited. Are you?" I questioned, smiling also.

"Very," they both answered. Then Edward turned to me.

"Be careful. It looks as though they are alert of our attack, because they're ready for a fight, too. Don't let them hurt you," he said, pulling me close to him and placing his lips on mine and his hands on my hips. We kissed until Jasper gave the orders to board the other ship.

"Board!" he yelled, and we broke apart.

After watching him jump on to the ship next to us, I followed, taking a deep breath and leaping across the two railings.

The action began immeadiately. I ran towards a man and swung my sword at him. He was aware of me and met my sword with his own. I pushed against his, but in the end stepped to the right and swung again. He stepped to his left and pushed his sword against mine, running it down my sword and towards me. I side-stepped quickly, and ducked as he swung at me. I rose after the sword had brushed a centimeter over my hair, and thrust my sword at his chest. He knocked it to the side, and side-stepped. We both swung at the same time, and once again our swords met in mid-swing. This time we continued to push agaist each other's weapon. Whoever broke away first had a better chance at winning the fight, but also a better chance at being hit by their opponent.

I didn't know if I should break away first, or not, but it was crucial that I not let him catch me unaware. I stared into his eyes. They were the key. They would give away his movements before he did them.

I stared at him for long seconds, waiting for the sign. When I saw the slightest flicker of emotion in his eyes, I knew what was about to happen.

When his sword left mine, I plunged my sword into him and pulled it out. Not wanting to see what I had done, I just turned away.

I saw the raiding group making their way around the fighters, and the defense group back on the ship's deck with Alice and Rosalie. Alice was watching something very intently, while Rosalie's eyes flickered back and forth.

Suddenly a member of the opposing crew jumped the railing and aimed their sword at Alice, who screamed, and fell back on her butt. I gasped in horror as the man plunged his sword toward her.

Right when it was about to meet her skin, a blurry figure jumped out and then the man was dead on the deck. Alice immeadiately got up and looked back at where she had been looking before the man jumped out at her.

I followed Alice's gaze and saw Jasper aiming a blow at his opponent, while Emmett snuck up behind the opposing crew member. Emmett?! What the hell was he fighting for?! He was supposed to be assisting the raiding group!

When Jasper hit his opponent, the man stumbled, and Jasper kicked him in the stomach so that he fell back into Emmett, who caught him and easily threw him overboard. I had to laugh.

"Great teamwork, guy!" I called. They looked up and smiled at me, and then looked worried and started to mouth something. I already knew what they were trying to tell me. I could see the man behind me's shadow.

When my attacker's shadow stopped moving, I spun on the spot and met my sword to his raised one just before he brought it down. A loud ring echoed as the weapon's met, and I swung again. Suddenly I heard another clang behind me, and hear Edward's voice.

"You _will not_ touch her," he growled.

"So the Captain of a pirate ship is in love. How swee-"

The other man's voice was cut off as I dodged a blow from my own attacker. While he brought his arm back to swing again, I straightened two of my fingers and hit him hard somewhere around the neck. He immeadiately collasped.

"What was that?" I heard Edward say from behind me. I turned to face him.

"Pressure point," I said shrugging and pointing to the man that lay dead by his feet.

"He was sneaking up behind you," Edward said, sounding disgusted. "Let's finish this fight. The Captain is in his cabin, hiding from the fight."

"Coward," I muttered. Edward nodded.

"We'll go in there and finish him. Then we'll have won the fight."

I quickly agreed, and we wove our way through the sparring figures to the door that led into the Captain's cabin.

Edward kicked it down, and we ran inside.

Within seconds, Edward was fighting the man dressed like the Captain. I watched, knowing that he most likely wouldn't need help.

They met swords a few times, but the Captain wasn't a very good swordsman. After only a minute, Edward had run behind the man quickly and kicked him on to the floor. I turned away as Edward finished him to see a man from the opposing crew run in, only to run out again when he saw the figure of his captain on the floor.

"Victorious," Edward said as he joined me where I stood. I heard the cries ending on the deck and knew that we had won.

Edward wrapped his arm around my waist and we walked out into the sunlight to see what was left of the battle.

As it turns out, there were no survivors. No one from the opposing crew had surrendered after they had found out that their captain was dead. They just panicked, leaving the pirate crew to kill them all.

"Captain?" Jasper asked as we joined the crew.

"Finish getting anything valuable, and then do what you like with the ship. Just don't light it fire. That will lead to a lot of smoke, which people will see and investigate," Edward instructed. Jasper nodded, and the fighting crew got back on to the ship while the defending group helped the raiding group finish collecting anything useful.

Edward scooped me up in his arms and jumped on to our ship.

"Are you hurt at all?" he asked, setting me on my feet.

"Other than a few scratches, no, not at all," I replied.

"Bella!" Alice ran up and wrapped her arms around my neck in a hug. "You're alright! We saw that man sneak up behind you, and then Edward beat the crap out of him!" she exclaimed, and I pried her off of me.

"Yes, I'm alright. Obviously," I said.

"What was it like?" she asked.

We talked about the fight until our ship started to move again after the other one was cleaned out of all things valuable and left to sink. I wasn't sure how it was sinking, but I suspected that somthing that had to do with vampire strength had to do with it.

"I still can't believe that move that you did! It was so-" she paused mid-sentence and looked behind me. "Jasper!" she shrieked, throwing herself into his arms. I chuckled.

"Come with me. I'd like to talk to you about something," he said without showing any emotion. She looked a bit worried, but nodded. They walked toward the steering deck, and I turned back to Edward.

"What's that all about?" I asked him.

"I'm sure that you'll find out later." He knew! Stupid mind reading abilities...

"You said that you had a few scratches," he said, changing the subject. I nodded. "We'd better put something on them before they become infected. We can't afford to stop at a port if they do."

"Do we even have anything for them?" I asked.

"Yes. Carlisle packed a first-aid kit, knowing that we'd need it. It's in my cabin." He picked me up, smiling, and walked across the deck and into his cabin, where I was set down on the bed.

He pulled a bag out from under the nightstand and grabbed some sort of ointment from it, along with a roll of bandages.

"Where are the cuts?" he asked.

"Well, I have a thin one on my side to my back, I think, from when I spun around, and another slightly deeper one on my arm, where the blood is on the shirt," I told him, and he nodded.

"We should get the deeper one first."

I pulled up my sleeve to reveal a cut on my forearm, and he squeezed some of the ointment on to it before wrapping it in a bandage carefully.

"Keep that one clean. It needs some more of this each day, along with a new bandage," Edward said. "Now you said that the other one was thin, but that doesn't mean that it's not deep. Let me see it."

I rolled on to my stomach and pulled my shirt up a few inches. Not enough to see anything. This was awkward.

"Yes. It is thin, but that sword got you good. I'll have to clean it up." He took a clean cloth out and dumped a bit of water on it from my canteen. Then, gently, he rubbed it along the cut. I winced when it touched my skin, but didn't complain.

Once the wound was clean, he put some of the ointment on it.

"How are we going to put a bandage on it?" I asked.

"I'm not sure, but it does need one. I guess that it'll just have to go around your waist, for now," he said.

I stood up and let him wrap the bandage around my waist before putting my shirt back down.

"Thanks," I said.

"You're very welcome. I'm glad that you're alright. I still don't see why you insisted on fighting, though. You could've gotten killed. You almost did," he said, finishing in a whisper.

"Thanks to you, though, I didn't," I said, wrapping my arms around his neck and looking into his topaz eyes.

"It still scared me. I'm not sure why I let you go," he said.

"I'm not either, but you get a reward for it," I smiled.

"Oh, and what might that be?" he asked, smiling also.

"This." I leaned up and pressed my lips agaisnt his. Putting his hands on my hips and avoiding my cut, he started backing up until he was able to sit on the bed. He pulled me on to his lap gently without breaking the kiss. I pulled away, gasping for air, before continuing the kiss. He had his hands wrapped around me, and I had mine in his bronze hair again. I leaned into him, pressing our lips together even more than they already were.

He pulled away after a minute, and I began to gasp for air again.

"I thought that you would need air," he smiled.

"Yeah, well, you thought right," I said, grinning.

"Come on. You should go get changed for bed. It's been a long day."

He stood up with me in his arms still, and I snuggled into his neck.

We went to my cabin and he sat me down on my bed.

"I'll see you in the morning," he said, kissing me softly.

"Good night," I said.

"Good night," he replied as he walked out the door, closing it.

Once he was gone, I sighed and pulled out my pajamas, carefully changing into them as to avoid pain. Then I crawled under the blankets and shut my eyes.

Right when I was about to fall asleep, the door burst open, and I jerked up to see Alice in the door way.

"BELLA!"

**A/N: ok so plz review with ur opinions and guesses about:**

**-fight/fighting moves**

**-what does alice want**

**-what did jasper want**

**-likes and dislikes**

**-anything else**

**thx so much to u guys who review all the time!!! u guys make me so happy!!! GO DRY PASTA!!!**

**~maddy rose**


	25. Chapter 25

**A/N: ok im really really surprised and HAPPY!!! that ppl guessed!!! and i gotta say that most of u were right!!! yay!!! thank u guyz so much!!!**

**disclaimer: i dont own twilight sry**

"BELLA!"

Alice slammed the door shut and jumped on my bed, smiling. I barely moved my legs in time. Her eyes were sparkling and she looked estatic.

"What? I'm trying to sleep..." I muttered.

"Guess what?!" she asked.

"What?" I asked, and then remembered something. "Does it have something to do with what Jasper wanted?"

"Yes!" she said.

"Wellllll?" I pressed when she didn't continue.

"HE KISSED ME!!!" she shrieked. I was sure that Jasper could hear her.

I was instantly alert to her.

"He what? How?" I asked. No wonder she was so damn happy.

"He kissed me!!! He brought me up to the steering deck and I was worried that it was going to be something bad, but he told me that seeing me almost killed today made him realize how much he cares about me and never wants to let me go and HE KISSED ME!!!" she squealed.

"Do you like him back?" I inquired.

"Of course I do! I have for a while, but I was sure that he didn't care about me in the same way. OH I'M SO HAPPY!"

"I can see that," I said, grinning. HA! I knew that they would end up together if they got the chance!!! Now I only had to wait for Emmett to realize how he feels, because I know that he likes Rosalie, he's just too stupid to do anything about it.

"I'm going to go tell Rosalie now!" Alice said, leaping off of the bed and out the door.

I smiled and turned over on my side, letting my eyes drift shut as screams of Alice's joy and Rosalie's annoyance came from across the hall.

***

It was heaven. We were standing on the ship's deck as raindrops of pure chocolate poured down on us and stuck to the deck like snow. The clouds were a creamy, chocolatey brown, and the deck had about two inches of powdery chocolate on it.

Rosalie, Alice, and I looked at one another, grinning.

"Do you know what I'm thinking?" I asked evilly.

"CHOCOLATE ANGELS!!!" the three of us screamed before falling back into the chocolate and making angels.

As we laughed, Edward, Jasper, and Emmett looked on with a "wtf?" expression on their faces. We ignored them.

My fantasy ended and I opened my eyes, yawning, to see a very puzzled looking Edward at the end of my bed. It had been three days since the raid, and we were nearing an island for the crew.

"Wad I say this time?" I asked groggily.

"Raining chocolate, chocolate angels, and Jasper, Emmett, and my own name before wtf. What the hell were you dreaming of?!" he asked.

"It was raining chocolate and Alice, Rosalie, and I were making chocolate angels. You three just watched with a "wtf?" expression," I said, smiling. He just frowned and shook his head.

"What?!" I asked.

"Nothing. We're at the island. I thought I'd let you know," he said. I stood up, as did he.

"I let you change and then meet you out on the deck," Edward said as he left.

I pulled some random sundress and shorts on before brushing my hair out and putting some shoes on.

I went out to the deck where the crew was hanging around, waiting for orders, and stood by Jasper, Alice, Emmett, and Rosalie.

Sometime in the past three days (no one knew exactly when), Emmett had done or said something really stupid that made Rosalie mad, and went to talk to her about it. They had ended up making out, so now they were together. Emmett's stupidity had worked out to his advantage for once. I had been very surprised, to say the least, as had everyone else.

"Hello, love," a velvety voice said in my ear. Two cold arms wrapped gently around my waist where my cut was almost healed.

"There you are," I said.

"Yes. I've come to tell you three that you may stay on the ship or go to the shore, like last time, Bella," he said to Alice, Rosalie, and I. We nodded, and he took his arms off of me before turning to the crew.

"Alright! We're ready to go! Let's try to be back before twilight, and don't follow Emmett's advice. That turned out quite badly," he frowned. Emmett and Jasper chuckled. I gave Emmett a "what did you do?" look. He only shrugged and pulled Rosalie closer to him.

"Head on down to the shore. We'll split into the usual groups," Edward said.

"Yes Captain," the crew replied as the headed down to the shore.

Edward walked over to me and scoped me up in his arms.

"Do you plan on hanging out on the shore today?" he asked. I looked at Rosalie and Alice.

"Yes. I have to have some solid-well, almost solid land beneath me," Rosalie said. Alice nodded.

"Yep," I told Edward.

He carried me down to the sand, and Jasper and Alice followed. Emmett and Rosalie came last.

Edward set me down and looked at me.

"Don't do anything... dangerous. We'll be back as soon as possible," he said, giving me a chaste kiss before joining his crew. Jasper did the same with Alice, but Emmett went full out with Rosalie. I looked at Alice and rolled my eyes.

"Come on Emmett! We're leaving!" I heard Jasper call. Emmett reluctantly pulled away from a panting Rosalie and disappeared into the vegetation after the rest of the crew. It was now just Alice, Rosalie, and I on the shore.

"What now?" Alice asked. I shrugged.

"We could wash off a bit in the ocean," Rosalie suggested. "I feel disgusting!"

Alice and I nodded in agreement before running into the cool ocean waves after Rosalie.

I took a deep breath and let the salty water pull me under, cleansing my skin and hair.

I resurfaced, gasping for air, to see Alice and Rosalie doing the same. Their hair was also wet, and their clothes were soaked.

I staggered back to the shore as the waves crashed into me. I could feel the seashells beneath my feet, and dove under to grab one.

Once I found one that felt cool, I came back up and looked at it before screaming and throwing it far away.

"What?" Alice and Rosalie both asked, splashing over to me.

"Nothing. It just had a little crab thing in it. It freaked me out!" I said, and they burst out laughing.

We made our way to the sand as we laughed, and sat down facing the waves. As the hot sun beat down on me, I suddenly felt tired.

"I think I'm going to take a nap," I yawned. Alice and Rosalie caught my yawn and we all laid down.

I shut my eyes and let the warmth of the sun soaked through my wet skin until I fell to sleep.

***

"Bella! Bella wake up!"

Alice's worried voice rang through my ears as I regained consciousness after my nap.

"What?" I asked sleepily. Rosalie was also sitting by me.

I looked up at the sky. Almost twilight. Edward and the crew would be returning soon from hunting.

"Look!" Rosalie and Alice both said, pointing out at the sea.

I sat up and looked where they were pointing. Anxiety struck me immediately.

A ship was nearing the island. What if it was a ship sent by my father?! If so, it would have the word "Gold" in the name.

I looked closely. It was almost close enough to see the name.

"We just noticed it when Rosalie woke up," Alice said.

"Do you think it's one of your father's?" Rosalie asked.

I-I can't tell yet. I'll have to see the name of it," I said, standing. Alice pulled me back down quickly.

"What the hell was that for?!" I asked.

"They may not have seen us yet. They'll be able to spot you more easily if you're standing," she explained. Oh. I should've known that.

"What should we do?" Rosalie asked.

"Wait until we can see the name," I said. They nodded, and we waited.

After about ten minutes, I squinted and gasped.

Sure enough, the ship's name was the _Gold Rose_. It was one of my father's ships.

**A/N: ok so i kno that its kinda short, but ill try to post another tonight if i can. plz review and tell me wat u think about alice's news, the dream, opinions, and wat do u guys think will happen next? i really wanna know, so plz review and tell me!!! thx so much reviewers!!! u guys r awesome!!!**

**~maddy rose**


	26. Chapter 26

**A/N: thx so much reviewers!!! u guyz keep me motivated!!!!!**

**disclaimer: i so dont own twilight**

I panicked. What should I do? How did they find us? Did they even know that it was us on the island? How much longer did we have?

"Bella?" Rosalie questioned.

"It's one of my father's ships. What are we going to do?" I groaned.

"We need to call the guys," Alice said.

"They should be here soon," Rosalie commented.

"No. We don't have time to wait," I said before screaming, "EDWARD!!!"

After about thirty seconds, Edward was by my side. I tugged him down.

"What?" he asked. I pointed out to the sea.

"That is one of my father's ships!" I hissed. He thought for a moment.

"Whitlock!"

After about thirty more seconds, Jasper was tugged down into the sand by us.

"What?"

"Bella's father's ship is coming closer as we speak. I need you to stay here while I run and get the crew," Edward said. Right after Jasper had nodded, Edward was gone.

"What are we going to do?" Alice asked him.

"Most likely we'll try and outrun them. It's the only hope that we have of getting away safely," Jasper answered. Alice leaned against him, looking afraid. I suddenly felt a gush of calm sweep over us and looked at Jasper. He was murmering comforting words to Alice.

Suddenly his head shot up.

"I'll be right back," he said, sitting Alice up before he was gone.

A minute later he was back, crouching down and looking at us.

"Edward has the crew ready. They're going to go to the ship as fast as they can so that they are not seen. We need to get you three on it, too, without being seen if possible," he explained.

"What do we do?" Rosalie asked.

"Stay low and move quickly. Now let's go," he said, and we began to make our way behind the ship on our hands and knees.

Once we were behind the ship we stood and raced over to the plank that led up. I went up first. I walked up it, trying not to fall off.

When I reached the deck I felt an arm gently tug me down on to my knees and looked up into the now-very-golden eyes of Edward.

"We need to stay down," he said, and I nodded, crawling around him as he tugged Alice down.

Once Rosalie and Jasper were up, too, the ship began moving, and I turned to Edward.

"What are we going to do?" I questioned. He looked at me and pulled me on to his lap.

"We're going to outrun them," he answered certainly. "Their ship is not made for speed. Ours is. Once nighttime falls, it will be easy for them to lose sight of us. We shall use the dark to our advantage and turned around, passing them and heading in the opposite direction. They won't notice until morning, and by then we'll be far away." I nodded.

We sat like that until the sun had sank below the horizon, and then we stood up and went into his cabin, wanting to be alone.

"How did they find us so quickly?" I asked as we lay down on his bed side by side. He put an arm around me.

"I'm not sure. Maybe the ship was already in the area," he suggested.

"Do you think that they know that I'm here?" I asked.

"Most likely," he said.

I didn't have anything to say, so I was silent.

"You... you don't want to go with them, do you?" he asked.

"No! I want to stay here with you, and everyone else! I don't want them to catch me..." I trailed off. He pulled me closer.

"I don't want them to get you, either. I won't let them," he promised, grabbing my chin and tilting my head up so that he could kiss me. I leaned into his eager lips as my skin caught fire and my soul burned.

I fell asleep in his arms after we broke apart.

***

When I awoke, I was still in Edward's arms.

"Good morning, Princess," he said, kissing my forehead.

"Good morning, Captain," I said, grinning. Normally I'd still be grumpy, but I was in his arms.

"How'd last night go?" I asked. He knew what I meant.

"Well, there's no sign of them yet. I think that they fell for it," he replied, sitting us both up.

"Let's go out on to the deck," I suggested. I wanted to watch for the _Gold Rose,_ too.

"Your wish is my command, your highness," he smiled.

I smiled, too, and stood up, stretching. We walked towards the door, and I pulled it open.

The sun was bright, and the deck was busy. The crew was bustling around, and I heard something above us on the steering deck.

"What's going on?" I asked Edward, who listened and chuckled.

"It seems that my brothers and some of the crew are teaching Alice and Rosalie how to fight," he said.

I grabbed his arm and started pulling him.

"Let's go watch!" I said.

We ran up the stairs to see a very angry looking Alice jump on a laughing Emmett.

"Just because I'm short doesn't mean that I can't learn how to use a sword!" she said.

"Surrrrrrrre," Emmett laughed, rolling his eyes as he pried the pixie off of his back.

"Bella's up!" Jasper announced, and all eyes turned to me.

"Tell Emmett that I can swordfight!" Alice shrieked, pointing at Emmett.

"Emmett, Alice can swordfight!" I said.

"Traitor!" he said. I grinned.

"Bella, would you assist me in demonstrating? Emmett seems to be having trouble keeping his thoughts to himself," Jasper asked.

"I'll gladly oblige," I said, taking a sword from one of the watching crew members.

"Thank you, Dently," I said, remembering his last name. He smiled brightly and nodded.

I faced Jasper with my sword raised and in a ready position.

"Now watch what we do," Jasper instructed Rosalie and Alice.

"And don't forget to watch their feet," Edward added.

Jasper nodded at me and I took the first move, swinging at his raised blade. He easily stopped me, but I immeadiately twisted around so that my sword was on top of his. With another slight turn, I was able to run my sword down his and towards his stomach.

Right before it hit him, he made an arch with his sword, so that his was above mine. I saw him about to swing, and I easily side-stepped it and ducked, swinging at his legs. He obviously wasn't expecting that, and I hit his legs. Of course, all it did was make a loud sound as the blade made contact with his rock-hard skin, but it tore a whole in the pants. If he were human, however, he would've buckled over and dropped his sword, so he did, just for acts. I quickly placed the point of my weapon on the back of his neck, and he put his hands up in surrender.

I was amazed. I had actually beat him!

"Wow, Bella. I don't think I've seen anybody go for the legs like that before!" Emmett said, cheering and clapping.

"It was just a reflex," I said as I took the sword off of Jasper, who stood.

"Good job, Bella," he said, holding out a hand. I shook it.

"So was that how to be beaten?" Alice asked Jasper, walking up to him with a smile. He smiled back.

"That's one way to put it," he said, leaning down to kiss her.

"Rosalie, do you want to try?" I asked.

"Sure, but I'm trying with you. Emmett wouldn't take it seriously," she said, rolling her eyes.

"Hey!" Emmett said. Edward and the crew members laughed.

Once Rosalie had a sword, we faced one another like I had with Jasper.

"Good. Now raise your sword at this angle," I explained, and she mimicked what I did.

"You swing first," I suggested. She quickly swung her sword at me, and I took a step forward and blocked it with my own.

"Great, but try it again with your feet like this," I suggested, showing her how to place her feet. I was aware of everyone's eyes on me.

We continued perfecting the first stance until I heard a low, dangerous growl come from behind me. I spun around fast enough to see Edward launch himself at one of the watching crew members and pin him to the railing.

"I thought that I told you _never_ to think _anything_ like that about my Bella," Edward hissed. The man looked terrified.

"What?" I asked.

"You don't want to know what this vile, disgusting, perverted creature was thinking about you." With each insult, Edward bit the man's shoulder hard and dug his teeth in deep, letting the venom sink in. I watched, horrified, as the man yelled in pain and Edward bit him again before kicking him with all of his strength down across the steering deck and down where he skidded across the main deck limply.

Edward then went to where he could see everything and everyone on the main deck and they could see him standing above them.

"Let this be an example to all of what happens if you even _think_ something wrong about Bella, Alice, or Rosalie," he growled. The crew looked from his menacing face to the shaking figure on the deck.

"Yes Captain," they all said loudly.

Edward turned back to us and walked over to me.

"Why did you do that?" I whispered, still a bit afraid of how black his eyes were.

"You should of heard what he was thinking," he spat angrily before seeing the scared expression on my face. When he did, his features grew less tense and his eyes slowly but surely turned golden again. When he looked calm again, I stepped forwards and embraced him. He hugged me back and kissed my forehead.

"Nothing is ever going to happen to you while I'm around," he whispered.

We turned to face the others. Jasper was holding Alice close to him, still wary of Edward's temper. He must sense how mad he was. Emmett also had Rosalie close, but he didn't look as concerned. The other crew members had quickly exited the steering deck.

"I think that that's enough for the day," Edward said, and the other's nodded.

"Come on, Bella. Let's go find something for you to eat," Edward told me, wrapping an arm around my waist and leading me below decks.

**A/N: i need ur opinion plz!!! also on how u want this story to go/end. plz review and tell me how u liked it!!! thx so much reviewers!!!**

**~maddy rose**


	27. Chapter 27

**A/N: yay!!! thx so much reviewers and ppl who told me wat they wanted!!! i now have a lengthy list of choices thx to u :D WE DONT HAVE SCHOOL TOMORROW!!! YIPPEE!!! :P**

**disclaimer: i so dont own twilight**

It was twilight. I was wrapped in Edward's arms in his cabin with Jasper and Alice. We had just finished discussing random things about what would happen now.

If a ship caught up with us, we would fight, and I would try to tell the Captain of the ship that I was safe.

If no one caught up, however, we would disappear off the face of the earth. We would go far away to a deserted island for a few years and sail around that area.

I didn't like either of theses choices, but they were both the most sensible out of what we had come up with.

"Where should we go?" Jasper asked Edward. They were finishing the details of the second plan.

"I think that-"

"Ship!" Colton's call came from the deck and we all jumped to our feet and ran out.

"Where?" Jasper asked. Colton pointed to the way of the nearest port, and we turned.

Sure enough, a ship was sailing towards us at full speed.

"Damn it!" Edward, Jasper, and I cursed out loud.

"What should we do, Captain?" Colton asked.

"Well, if we turned, we'd just slow ourselves down, and then run into the _Gold Rose_. We can't outrun them this way, though, because their path would cross ours. That would lead to a fight. But if we run into the _Gold Rose_, then we'd have to fight them, and eventually this ship will catch up and we'd be fighting two crews," Edward muttered to no one.

"Perhaps the second option is better?" Jasper gave Edward his advice, and he nodded.

"Yes. It's better than fighting two ships. And this way, Bella can _try_ to stop the fight before it happens," Edward agreed before turning to Jasper.

"Get Rosalie and Alice prepared. Finish showing them how to fight," Edward instructed. Jasper nodded and pulled Alice away to find Emmett and Rosalie. Then Edward turned to me.

"Go into your or my cabin and think of what you're going to say to try and convince them. We don't have long. I'll prepare the crew," he said, and I nodded. He gave me a chaste kiss and then I went into his cabin and shut the door.

I sat in the cabin thinking about how to persuade them that I was happy here and lost track of time.

I would tell them how happy I was here, and how I now had great friends, and had found the love of my life. They would have to believe me!

There was a knock on the door, and I got up to answer it. It was Edward.

"They're almost here," he said. I gulped and joined the ready crew on the deck as the other ship- the _Gold Sun_- pulled up next to us so that the two ships were side by side.

We watched through the veil of darkness, ready for an attack.

Suddenly Jacob's voice rang through the silence, and I squinted in the darkness to see his huge figure. It was so dark out. Must be a new moon.

"Hand over Princess Isabella Swan and there shall be no fight!" I glanced nervously at Edward. He squeezed my hand and we walked to the railing of the ship where I could see Jacob a bit better.

"She doesn't want to go with you!" he snarled.

"Is that true, Princess?" Jacob's voice questioned.

"Yes," I choked.

"They're making you say that, aren't they?" he growled. Growled. That's queer...

"No! I don't want to go, Jacob!" I cried.

There was a moment's silence before Jacob spoke again.

"I think that we need to talk face to face, and without any of them listening in," he growled. I glanced at Edward.

"Will that avoid a fight?" Edward asked.

"If everything goes over well," Jacob snarled.

"We've got to try it," Edward whispered in my ear. I nodded and pulled myself close to him.

"Alright, Black, but she gets to have one of our men sent over with her," Edward agreed.

"Fine, but it can't be you," Jacob spat.

"Give us a minute." Edward quickly turned to the man on his right. I couldn't tell who it was.

"Jasper, I need you to go with her. Mess with their emotions. If anything happens, you get her and get out, got that?" Edward instructed.

"Yes, Captain. I won't let anything happen to her. What could they do with me around, anyway?" Jasper smirked.

"Are you ready?" Jacob questioned.

"Yes." Edward pulled me close to him and pressed his lips against mine.

"Be careful. Choose your words wisely. They could be used against you," he whispered.

Jasper picked me up and easily jumped both railings before setting me down on the _Gold Sun_'s deck, where he held hold of my arm firmly but gently.

"Good." I jumped when Jacob appeared beside me all of a sudden. "Now come with me into my cabin," he instructed.

I glanced over at Edward, who was watching intently through the darkness and then up at Jasper, who nodded. All of a sudden one of the crew burst out laughing for no apparent reason. Jasper smiled evilly and pulled me after Jacob.

We stopped right outside of his cabin and he looked at Jasper.

"I'll need to be alone with her. You can stay out here, but I don't want any watching eyes affecting what she says," he glared. Jasper looked unsure for a moment, but nodded hesitantly and let go of me.

Jacob grabbed hold of my arm when Jasper's hand left it, and I gasped at the sudden change of temperature. Jasper's hand had been like ice, but Jacob's skin was on fire.

He tugged me into the cabin as random laughing erupted behind us and then turned to sobbing. Jacob looked like he was ready to murder his crew as he shut the door behind us and lit a few candles. He motioned for me to sit in a chair at a desk, and he sat in the one across from me.

"Princess Isabella, what have they done to you? I want to know how painful I should make their deaths," he began, growling.

"Nothing. They-"

"How did they threaten you to say that?" he spat.

"They didnt, I-"

"Princess, you're safe now. I'll return you home to your father. We'll destroy their ship. You'll never have to see them again." Jacob was really getting on my nerves.

"Jacob, I keep trying to tell you! I don't-"

I was cut off by a shout from outside. Multipule shouts, actually, but the loudest one sounded like Jasper.

I jumped up, and only once I was on my feet was I aware that the ship was moving. I gasped and looked over at Jacob, who had also got to his feet. He smiled.

I ran out to the deck and looked all around, and, to my horror, saw Jasper fighting the crew with all of his strength, but they somehow managed to throw him over the railing. How the hell did they throw a vampire overboard?! I heard a loud splash.

"JASPER!" I screamed.

Then I looked over the railing. No _Blood Moon_. Edward's ship was fading into the distance as the _Gold Sun_ gained speed.

Suddenly I felt a hot arm wrap around my waist.

"You're safe now, Princess Isabella. We're going to take you back to your father," Jacob said.

"What did you do?! I don't want to go!" I screamed at him as tears welled up in my eyes.

"What did they do to you? I swear, I'll send another ship out to destroy them all once you're safe with your family," Jacob said.

I couldn't say anything. I was sobbing too hard. I yanked myself from Jacob's strong grasp and ran back into his cabin, slamming the door behind me. I threw myself down on the bed and cried until I was out of tears. Edward, rescue me!

**A/N: ok yay!!! plz tell me wat u guys think!!! wat do u think will happen next? plz tell me how u liked the chappie!!! im sry about the shortness of it, but i hope that it was still great and had enough important stuff in it for u!!!**

**~maddy rose**


	28. Chapter 28

**A/N: thx so much for the reviews!!! k so this is a huge chappie, but rather... just a heads up!!! enjoy i hope!!! oh yea and plz check out justrememberhe prefersbrunets story Setting Sun cuz shes being really cruel right now and not updating til she gets six more reviews!!! shes evil!!!**

**disclaimer: i so dont own twilight**

"Princess?"

A much-hated voice entered my dreams and I opened my eyes to see the much-hated man, Jacob Black, standing by the bed with some food on a tray.

"Piss off..." I muttered, rolling away from his shocked face.

"I-I-I just wanted to give you breakfast. It's here if you want it," he said, and I heard the door shut.

I hesitantly looked up in case he was still here. To my relief, he wasn't. I eyed the food on the nightstand hungrily. I hadn't eaten since lunch the day before, and I would need to keep my strength up, so I ate everything that that morotic piece of crap had brought. While I was crying the night before, I had grown to hate the man who took me away from Edward.

I stood and decided to go out on to the deck, where, hopefully, Jacob wouldn't be.

My hopes were crushed, however when I stepped into the sunlight and heard his voice from next to me.

"We should be there within and hour or two," he said. Damn it! Where the hell was Edward?!

"I, er, have some bad news though," he said, looking worried.

"Mmhmm?" I asked, pressing him to continue.

"Well, it seems that your captor's ship is gaining on us. If they catch up to us, we'll protect you though. Don't worry about them. This ship is the fastest in the region." I hadn't heard, nor did I care, what he had finished saying. My heart had sped up when I heard him say that Edward was catching up! He was going to save me!

I didn't say anything to him, just stood there gazing at where I saw a ship on the horizon. He finally went away and left me alone.

The ship slowly got larger over the next fifteen minutes, and when the sun got too hot for me, I decided to do something about the present situation.

While none of the crew were watching, I snuck over to where the dingy was already ready for take off in case there was an emergency. What morons. All I would have to do was lower myself and the dingy down into the water and then head towards Edward's ship. Ha!

I took the tarps off of the small boat and then unhooked the unneeded ropes before putting it over the railing. I considered myself terribly lucky that all of the crew was on the other side of the ship's deck. Wow they were morons. I noticed what a small crew that they were, too.

I stuck one leg _carefully_ over the railing and onto the floor of the dingy. Then, once I felt the wood beneath my foot, I swung the other leg over and held on to the ship's railing for dear life. I sat down in the boat and took one hand off of the railing while looking for the oars.

As I was taking my other hand off, however, something hot grabbed my wrist. I snapped my head up and came face to face with Jacob Black.

"You don't want to be doing that, Princess," he snarled. With a jerk of his hand, I was flying back over the railing and into his chest. How the hell did he do that?!

"Allen, Bardwell!" he called, and two men were by our sides quickly.

"Guard the dingy. We don't want her to get hurt," he said in a fake caring voice.

"Princess, you may continue to stay on the deck as long as you promise not to do anything else dangerous," he threatened. I nodded, not wanting to deal with him at the moment.

He let go of me and I stumbled away from him. I leaned against the railing and looked at the growing figure of the _Blood Moon_.

I suddenly felt bored. I decided to go into Jacob's cabin while waiting for Edward to rescue me.

I walked across the deck and over to the door. I was about to push it open when I heard voices.

"I don't give a damn what your excuse is! She almost got away!" came Jacob's voice.

"I'm sorry, Captain."

"I should hope so! We must get her to her father! I want the reward!" Jacob growled.

"Which is...?"

"Well, there is no set reward, but he will be in my debt. I will ask for nothing much, just her hand in marriage."

At this I was outraged. I would NOT marry this dog-like man! I burst through the door.

"NO! Jacob Black, I'd rather DIE than marry you!" I screamed. Jacob and the other man both spun to look at me. Jacob's eyes turned cold.

"You may return to your duties now, Johnson. I can see that I must discuss something with Princess Isabella. Make sure that none of the men disturb us. This may take a while to get through to her just why I'd be the perfect husband for her," Jacob told the man, Johnson, who quickly nodded and then turned to leave, bowing to me as he shut the door behind him.

Jacob turned to me and sat on the bed.

"Have a seat, Princess. I want to hear why it is you so despise me after I saved you," he said, patting the spot next to him. I felt that I didn't have much of a choice, so I did so, inching as far away from him as I could.

"Why is it, Princess Isabella?" Jacob asked, looking hurt.

"Well, let's see. First of all, you took me away from the man that I love," his face got a look of disgust on it. "Second, you won't listen to me, and third, I DON'T WANT TO MARRY YOU!" I yelled.

His face got dangerous suddenly, and I flinched away and stood to leave. Before I was halfway across the room, I felt Jacob's overheated hand grab my chin and force me to look at him.

"Get OFF me, you over-sized space heater!" I tried to yell, but his hand muffled it.

**(k this is the before hand warning, if u want to skip the next part, do so, so don't complain to me. i warned u, its not too descriptive, but still, its up to u, ill tell u wen its done)**

"You _will _marry me," Jacob growled, and the next thing that I know, his lips were crashing into mine, noneto gently, either. He pushed me up against the wall and I tried to scream for help, but his lips got in my way. I tried to shove him off of me, but he wouldn't budge. His lips crushed mine, and he did something that Edward and I hadn't done yet.

He forced his tongue into my mouth and I gagged. He tasted _horrible_. I didn't even know how to describe it, it was that bad. I tried to close my mouth, but he wouldn't get out. Then I bit him so hard that it hurt my jaw.

He pulled away, but before I could scream he had a giant hand crushing my mouth and chin.

"You little _bitch_! How dare you bite me!" he whispered roughly. "You're going to pay dearly for that!" I grew very worried. Panic filled me, bubbling over the top. What else was he going to do? I started to sob as his tongue roamed my mouth again, and his hands roamed my body.

Jacob pushed me on to the bed without breaking the kiss and lay on top of me. I found it very hard to breathe with him on me and his tongue in my mouth. My lungs burned for air and I pushed against his chest and tried to stop his hands, but it was useless.

Finally he needed air, too, and pulled away, gasping. I gasped too, and didn't even remember to scream, I was so breathless.

"You _will_ learn how good I will be to you when we are married!" he growled as I gasped, and to my horror, his hands started to tear away my sundress and then my shorts. I continued to sob hysterically as he did so, and then I remembered to yell. I took a deep breath, but he caught me.

He took the chance of my mouth being open to stick his tongue in again, which made me gag instead of scream. He ripped off the remainder of my clothes and took his own shirt off with one hand, while the other one was doing things that made me want to die.

As he finished stripping I grew hysterical. I knew that I was about to start hyperventalating. I could feel him and I knew what he was about to do. He was so close to doing it as his hands did disgusting things.

He pushed my legs apart and I screamed into his mouth.

**(k if u were skipping u can look now)**

Suddenly, I heard a loud crash, and all of the weight on me was gone. Jacob was off of me, and I gasped for oxygen through my hysteric sobs. I felt a blanket fall over me and a pair of cold arms wrap around me and pull me close. I looked up into the black eyes of Edward, and threw my arms around his neck without stopping the tears. Seeing him just made me cry harder, but this time joy and gratitude was mixed with everything else.

I moved my head when I heard growls and snaps and look over to see a gigantic wolf launch itself across the room at a blurry figure. The figure moved right in time, and I recognized Jasper fighting the creature. Jasper's eyes were black, also.

I started to hear yells and snarls from outside the cabin, but all that I could focus on was the scene in front of us. I felt Edward jerk and growl, and I knew that he wanted to be the one killing the creature instead of his brother.

The creature stopped attacking for a split second and looked at me before launching itself at Jasper again. I gasped when I saw the eyes of Jacob Black.

I couldn't ponder for long, because I heard another crash and looked up at the door to see Emmett, who looked at me sobbing into Edward's chest and wrapped in only a blanket, and then looked furious and black-eyed. He launched himself at the wolf as two figures raced in and jumped on the bed.

Rosalie and Alice pulled me off of a shaking-with-anger Edward and held me close between them as Edward threw himself at the creature. They fused over me, but I focused only on the guys beating the crap out of Jacob through my sobs.

Emmett and Jasper were cursing loudly at him, and Edward, I guessed, must be cursing at vampire speed because all that I heard was a string of angry sounds from him.

They all moved in a blur, and when I blinked my tears out, Jasper and Emmett were pinning the creature down on the floor. Edward growled and threw himself teeth-first at Jacob. I looked away as pain-filled howls filled the room, but didn't pity Jacob Black.

After about five minutes of continuous sobbing, cursing, and howling, the howls stopped with, disgustingly enough, a gurgle.

Then Edward, Emmett, and Jasper were on the bed comforting me.

"Don't worry, Bells, that bastard is gone for good," Jasper said.

"Yeah! We totally kicked his ass!" Emmett said, not even sounding silly.

Suddenly we heard someone clear their throat. All heads snapped up at the doorway, and the boys jumped to their feet, standing in front of us girls. But I didn't care. I knew who this man was. Though I thought that I would never see him again, here he was, standing in the doorway. I yanked myself out of Alice and Rosalie's arms, and, careful to keep the blanket on, threw myself into the waiting arms of my very worried, shaken looking father.

**A/N: ok so idk how many more chapters there will be, but plz plz plz tell me how u liked it and wat u think will b next, cuz im still debating myself!!! this is really really really important!!! plz review!!!**

**~maddy rose**


	29. Chapter 29

**A/N: ok, so im totally SYCHED with all da reviews!!! thank u guys so much!!! u rock!!! lets try for 500 by the end of this story plzzzzzzz it would make me SO happy!!! and im sry that this chappie may seem kinda cheesy.**** thx so much to those who voted! ill also be deleting the authors note so that it doesnt cause any confusion and closing the poll. im really sry if u didnt get to vote!!!**

**disclaimer: i so dont own twilight**

"Isabella," my father murmered, holding me tightly. My tears continued to fall from both happiness and shakiness as I clung to him.

"What happened to you?" he said after five minutes, glaring at my friends. "What did they do?"

"They did nothing, father. Don't blame them. They helped me," I said, breaking away fromt he embrace and stepping back by them, growing angry with my father already.

"Look at you! You're in nothing but a-a blanket! And what happened to your hair? Why is it shorter?" my father said angrily, and I felt very self-conscious. He took off his long jacket and handed it to me. I gladly put it on. "What did they do?!"

"Father, they-"

"Please, sir. Bella just had a very rough experiance-" Edward started.

"Yes! I'm sure that you would like to explain to me just what you all did to my daughter!" my father yelled at Edward, Emmett, Jasper, Alice, and Rosalie, not even noticing Jacob's corpse on the ground.

"Father!" I said, trying to give myself time to talk. Rosalie took whatever time I had, however.

"Look! I don't care if you're the king, but you owe these guys quite a bit for what they just did! Jacob Black just tried to rape your daughter, and they saved her! Hell, Bella could be dead right now if it weren't for them! They pushed him off of her and beat the crap out of him, so, damn it! You had _better_ stop blaming them and thank them for killing this, this, this bastard!!!" Rosalie screamed.

We were all stunned as we stared at her. She looked quite satisfied with herself, but was also fumming.

"That's my girl," Emmett said, breaking into a grin.

My father looked shocked.

"Is-is-is this true, Isabella?" he stammered, looking at me.

"Yes, father. It's what I've been trying to tell you," I said, nodding through my tears.

My father took a moment to piece things together.

"So... Black was the one who captured you? That doesn't seem right... Then how do you know these people?" I stared at him. He thought that Jacob had had me this whole time.

"Father, Jacob just got me. He was going to bring me back for the reward. He only wanted to marry me, and I refused, then he got mad, and-and-" I broke down sobbing again at this point. I didn't want to relive what had happened after that.

Alice and Jasper both wrapped an arm around me.

"Shh. It's alright, Bella," Alice whispered as Jasper ran a hand up and down my arm comfortingly.

"So, then who had you, Isabella? I swear, they will be dead after my forces find them," my father asked threateningly.

"No! You will not!" I screamed at him. He looked shocked at my sudden outburst.

"Why?" he asked.

"B-because..." I didn't know how to continue telling him that he was in the same room as my captors.

"Sir, we took Bella," Edward said bravely, stepping forwards to face my father, who looked enraged. My father drew his sword and took a step towards the man that I love.

"No!" I cried, jumping out of Alice and Jasper's arms and into Edward's, who held me close.

"Why not? They stole you from me! And what became of the ship and it's crew!" my father asked. Edward hung his head.

"That's what I thought! And who are you, anyway?" my father continued.

"Edward's the Captain of a pirate ship," I said, my voice shaking.

"A pirate? Then I have every right to kill him and his crew. Step away, Isabella. He's dangerous." My father raised his sword at Edward, and pulled me out of Edward's arms.

Suddenly, there were about eight more people dressed in the navy's uniform. They came in and raised their swords at my friends like my father. I was behind the line of them, separated from everyone and sobbing. Alice began to sob, too, and Jasper pulled her close, drawing his own sword. Emmett stepped in front of Rosalie, who looked shoked and had tears in her eyes. Edward drew his own weapon and got in front of them defensively.

Edward, Emmett, and Jasper's eyes were all black again, and I could see that this would turn out very badly. Even if they were vampires, they couldn't fight off all nine of the men while acting human and protecting Alice and Rosalie, and if they acted like vampires, they would have to kill everyone. That included my father.

I had to do something.

All of the soldiers and my father took another step towards my friends. The next thing I know, my father had swung his sword at Edward. I gasped as the other soldiers rushed in at Jasper and Emmett.

"STOP!" I screamed. They didn't stop. Only Edward, Jasper, and Emmett were fighting on their side. Alice and Rosalie were huddled together against the wall, crying like me. Three soldiers were each against Edward, Jasper, and Emmett, and I could tell that it was getting difficult for them.

Suddenly I saw Edward's sword fly out of his hands and my father take a final swing at him.

Without thinking, I jumped out in front of Edward and put my hands up, catching the flat side of my father's weapon. Though I had caught the dull side, I could still feel lines of searing pain in my hands, and saw a deep crimson red drip down them.

"Isabella! Why are you so intent on keeping them alive after all that they have done to you?!" my father asked.

"Because I love them," I whispered.

All of the fighting around us ceased and my father let go of his sword in shock. I felt it slip from my hand and it fell to the floor of the cabin with a thud.

"What?" my father asked, shocked.

"I love them," I said, meaning it. Jasper, Alice, Emmett, and Rosalie were my best friends and like siblings, and Edward was the love of my life. I would do anything for them.

"Aw, Bella, I didn't know that you cared about us so deeply," Emmett said in his usual mood. I ignored him.

"H-how?"

"Father, please. Don't hurt them. Let them go!" I pleaded.

"How can you love them?" My father ignored what I asked.

"They're my best friends, and I love them. I love Edward," I said, and Edward spun me around and kissed me full on the lips. I was stunned at first, but then I responded, forgetting about the audience.

"Isabella Marie Swan! He is the captain of a pirate ship! You can_not_ love him!" my father yelled, and I broke away from Edward.

"Please, father. If you love me, you'll let me go with them; you'll leave us alone. You won't hurt them," I said, trying to guilt him into letting us go, me included.

"No, Isabella. If you really care about them so much, fine. I won't kill them, though I have every right to, but you _will not_ be staying with them. You will return home with me so that you will take up your rightful place on the throne and marry when it comes time." I stared at him. Go home _and marry!_ I think not!

"But father! I don't want-"

"No, Isabella! You will do so, or else I will kill them all," my father threatened. I knew that I didn't have a choice.

"Fine," I whispered.

"Good. We'll be leaving in half an hour. And if I ever see them in this part of the ocean, around our home, then I will kill them." My father turned and strode out of the room, motioning for all of us and the soldiers to follow.

I looked at Edward sadly. He looked as though a bullet had just passed through his skin. His eyes broke my heart as he looked at me with shock, disbelief, and sadness.

We were the last ones in the cabin now.

"Is this really what you want, Bella?" he whispered, taking my hands in his. I felt the tears start to fall again.

"It's the only way to keep everyone alive, including my father," I replied.

"But is it what you want?"

I just looked away sadly, and Edward pulled me into his chest. No, I never wanted to go back. I never want to marry anyone but Edward. I never want to be queen. But I couldn't tell Edward this. It would bring him to pieces. The pieces of my life had fallen apart and been put back together, and now that were falling apart once more.

We stood in this embrace for about twenty minutes before Edward put an arm around my waist and we walked out on to the deck where the others were. My father was a few feet away, talking to other soldiers. The _Blood Moon_ was on one side of the ship, and my father's ship was on the other. The crew of the _Blood Moon_ was watching on sadly.

I looked up as my father walked towards us.

"It's time to go. Say your good-byes. You won't be seeing them again," he said. Right now I hated my father.

As my father walked away, I turned to my friends with sad eyes, who returned the gaze.

Alice ran forwards and hugged me. I squeezed her as I cried.

Then I went over to Rosalie and embraced her. We cried together before I turned to Emmett. His eyes were sad, but he put on a fake smile as he opened his arms for me. I fell into them and wrapped my arms around his huge back.

I pulled away and hugged Jasper, who hugged me back sadly.

Then I turned to Edward. He placed his hands on my hips and leaned in, placing his cold lips upon mine. I wrapped my hands around his neck and tangled my fingers in his bronze hair as I did something daring, knowing that this might be the last time I would ever get to do this.

I flicked my tongue out, asking for entrance, and he let me in. I deepened the kiss, and our tongues danced.

Finally I had to break away for air. I panted with a small smile on my face. He smiled back at me.

"Isabella!" my father called.

I looked into Edward's topaz eyes.

"I love you," I said.

"I love you, too, Bella," he said, giving me a short, chaste kiss. "Watch for me."

"Isabella Marie Swan!" My father was pissing me off.

I gave Edward's hand one last squeeze and took a few steps backward, looking at them all with a sad, caring smile. Edward, Jasper, Alice, Emmett, and Rosalie. This would be my last chance. I wasn't going to let it go.

"I know this sounds really stupid and cheesy, but thanks for everything. I'll miss you guys, and I love you all in different ways," I said.

I looked one last time at everyone, and then at Edward, before turning away and joining my father, knowing that I wouldn't see them ever again.

My father and I walked on to his ship, and I stood at the railing, watching them as their ship grew smaller and smaller on the horizon. I sighed as fresh tears filled my eyes. There go the pieces of my life.

**A/N: there will be one last chapter. it wont be much, but it will be the last one for this story. plz tell me wat u think of it. plz review**

**~maddy rose**


	30. Chapter 30

**A/N: ok so ppl seem to be thinking that this is the end, she'll never see them again. hahaha ur wrong.**

**and ive decided to put up a new poll: sequel, or continue in this story. thats wat it will be. cuz ppl seem to have mixed opinions on if they want a sequel or not, so plz plz vote so that i kno wat to do!!!**

**this chappie will b kinda short, but it sets up wat happens next and sry to those who like france (i myself absolutely LUV it) but i really just needed a country that would work with the story**

**disclaimer: i so dont own twilight**

After I could no longer see the ships, I headed into my father's cabin to think and cry. I shut the door behind me and lay down, burying my face in the pillows.

I remembered how Edward had picked me up and brought me on to his ship, sparing my life. I remembered when he first spoke to me. I had just awoken from my first night on his ship.

_"Glad to see you're finally awake," he said with a smirk. When I threw him a questioning glance he explained. "You've been asleep for almost two and a half days. Of course, you hit your head pretty hard."_

_I was confused again. What did he mean, "hit my head pretty hard"?_

_He noted my confusion. "When your, mm, friend, saved you, he pushed you out of the way. You hit your head on the railing of the ship. That's why you were unconscious," he said, and my eyes filled with tears at the mention of Eric. He noticed and let out an exasperated sigh._

_"I've never known any teenage boy to be so emotional," he said coldly._

He hadn't known who I was, then, or even that I was a girl. That seemed like ages ago.

I remembered when Jasper had found out that I was a girl. I had blown it by singing.

_"So you are a girl."_

_I stopped singing. I sat up and whipped around when I heard that voice. I saw Jasper walking towards me, and panic filled me. He had heard my voice as I sang. Damn it._

_I stood up as he reached me, but didn't know of anything to say. My secret was blown now. I hadn't denied it when he said it, so he would know that it was true. Thankfully, he spoke before I could say or do anything._

_"I had been thinking that something was strange with you. Most teenage boys don't cry continuously, or feel the mix of emotions that girls do," he said with a chuckle._

I wish that I had thanked Jasper for finding out. If not, I would be roaming the ocean, pretending to be a boy in some ship's crew right now. Of course, Emmett had found out, too.

Then when Edward had found out, all he needed to hear was my voice to know.

_"Captain Edward, I've been keeping something from you," I said, and when he heard my voice he looked a bit angry._

_"Why didn't you tell me?" he asked. I looked at my feet. He had obviously figured that I was a girl by my voice, which was rather high-pitched due to fear._

And then when he had found out who exactly I was.

_"Well, if that secret's blown, you might as well tell us your name," he said. Jasper and Emmett already knew my name, but I would tell him myself._

_"Bella," I said. Captain Edward instantly looked wary._

_"Bella? Would that possibly be short for Isabella?" he asked, and I nodded._

_"Princess Isabella?" he growled. I was shocked. How had he guessed? I nodded nervously, and the next thing I know, my back was against a wall and a cold hand was wrapped around my throat, cutting off my air supply._

_"Damn it! Do you know what this means? Damn it!" he said as I struggled against his strength, gasping for air._

_"The whole damn royal navy could be after our ship if they ever find out that we have you!" he said, cursing more._

_Blackness was beginning to creep into my vision. My lungs burned for oxygen, but Captain Edward's hand continued to cut off my airway._

_All of the sudden I could feel air enter my lungs, and I gasped._

Who I am was now keeping me from him. I wish that I wasn't Princess Isabella.

The memories continued. Meeting Carlisle, meeting Esme, rescueing Alice, Rosalie, and Jadyn, seeing Jacob Black at the port, the list went on and on until when I last saw him, and his last words.

_"I love you," I said._

_"I love you, too, Bella," he said, giving me a short, chaste kiss. "Watch for me."_

Watch for me. Watch for me. I repeated the words in my head. I hadn't been paying enough attention to his words when we parted. I missed this. What did he mean? Watch for me. He would come and save me. He would find a way to. I knew it.

Watch for me.

***

"Isabella."

I snapped my head up from my nap to see my father.

"We're here," he said. "Come out soon. You're mother will want to see you when we get to the palace."

I nodded and stood up. We walked out on to the deck, and down to the ground outside the ship.

"We're home," my father said. No. We were not home. My home was on the _Blood Moon_ with Jasper, Emmett, Alice, and Rosalie. And most importantly, with Edward. I would never be home unless I was with them.

We walked a few feet away from the ship before my father turned to me.

"Isabella, there's something that I haven't told you yet," he said. I got worried.

"What is it?" I asked.

"While you have been gone, a, er, war has started between us and France." I stared at him blankly. A war. Seriously?!

He continued. "You will have guards with you, and there will be armies all over the place. I just thought that I'd warn you," he said. I rolled my eyes, in a really pissed mood with him, and continued walking.

Once we had gotten away from the ship, I saw hundreds of men dressed in uniforms marching all over the place. Great.

Suddenly, my father grabbed my arm.

"It's quite dangerous in this area, so stay with these guards," he said, and about twelve men stepped in front of us and began to lead the way to the palace, which I could see in the distance. When I looked to my right, I saw a lot of smoke in the distance. Same to my left.

We continued to the palace, and I felt the ground shake twice by the time that we reached the gates, and could hear gunshots echo in the distance.

We rushed into the courtyard and into the grand entrance, where suddenly arms wrapped themselves around me.

"Isabella! Isabella! I'm so happy that you're here and alright! I was so worried!" I looked up to see my mother, Queen Renee, sobbing happy tears.

"I'm perfectly fine, mother," I said. Or at least I had been, until my father had come and ruined my life.

"Can I just go to bed?" I asked. I was about to break down in tears again, and I wanted to be alone.

"Of course, sweetheart. I'm sure that you're very tired," my mother said, letting go of me. I walked around the corner, and once I was out of their view, I broke out running. The tears were filling my eyes already. I didn't even notice the dozens of guards that were stationed around each corner as my footsteps echoed through the hallways. I raced up three flights of marble stairs and threw myself into my old room.

I turned around and slid down the fine wooden door, breaking into sobs. Why?! I was so much better off with Edward and everyone else! Now, here, I had no friends, and I would barely see my parents anyway. My father had told me that I would be wed, and have to be queen. Above all, our country was at war! I could feel the ground shaking every five minutes, and wondered how bad we were losing to France.

I felt my eyes close, and as I drifted into a sad sleep full of despair, I remembered Edward's words.

Watch for me. And I would. I would watch for him.

**A/N: ok so yea i kno really crappy, but I had to get that part with the war and everything. ok, so i wanna know still: sequel or continue in this story. plz vote on the poll!!! tell me wat u think will happen plz!!!**

**~maddy rose**


	31. Chapter 31

**A/N: so this is wat most of u ppl voted for but it was like sooooo close!!!! and if it changed i just went with what it was at the time, which was one difference. wow u guys r AWESOME!!! thx so much!!!**

**disclaimer: i so dont own twilight**

**_6 Months Later_**

It's been six months. Six long, depressing, despair-filled months. Six months without any trace of my friends. Six months without any trace of Edward.

Edward. The name, the memory, that I've clung to for any hope whatsoever.

Existence has been hell ever since my father took me away from my life. I've only left the palace twice in these six torchurous months. Security keeps getting tighter and tighter. I now have two guards outside of my door, two that walk the hallway outside my room, and even four soldiers that stand below my window at all times. Guards are everywhere in the palace-behind every corner, in every room, in the garden. I run right into them at least five times a day.

The reason behind all of these guards: we're losing the war. Big time. Every day the ground shakes, and every time the ground shakes, it seems to be closer to the palace than the time before. I can look out my window and see swarms of soldiers up and down the streets and guarding the palace gates.

Now that I am here, I have no friends. My parents are always too busy to do anything with me. The closet person that I have is one of the soldiers that guards the ground below my window. His name is William, and he is only a year older than me. I don't like him as I do Edward; no one can take that place in my heart, but William is a friend. Not a great friend, but someone to talk to. Or yell down to. I also have Angela, who is one of the few maids in the palace. We only have four because my father doesn't think that he can trust anyone else. My mother and I both continue to tell him that this is why the palace isn't "sparkly clean", like he wants. Maybe he'll listen soon. We could also use a new cook. The one we have now makes horrid food.

These past six months I have lost all sense of why I'm here. I see no point in life, but just to continue living without purpose. I pleaded with my father for a month straight to let me go back to the sea and find Edward before he got too busy for me to see him. I dreamt of those golden eyes every night, and then woke up screaming when they turned into Jacob Black's eyes.

Now was no difference. I gazed into those golden liquid eyes, and got closer and closer to them until our noses could touch. Then I blinked, and the beautiful eyes were now black and angry. Jacob's face came into focus, and I felt a weight on top of me.

I screamed, throwing my eyes open to see the bland white walls of my bedroom in the palace.

"Bella?" came a voice from outside of the door. The guards were used to my screaming, but still had to check.

"I'm fine. Fine..." I trailed off and sat up, tossing my legs over the side of the bed.

I stood, stretching, and looked at the clock. 5:30 am. Grand. Another long day ahead of me.

I went over to my closet and chose a light pink dress that was one of the least frilly in there before throwing the night gown over my head and slipping into this.

After I was decent, I walked out of the room and past the door and hall guards, down past the stair guards and into the kitchen.

"Good morning, Princess Isabella," Angela said, appearing beside a table.

"Good morning to you, too, Angela. And I've told you about six hundred times; call me Bella. Just Bella," I said, giving her a small smile.

"May I ask what is keeping you up this early?" Angela asked as she put a plate of food on the table.

"I could ask you the same thing," I replied.

"Well, I have to get up this early. It's part of the job," she told me.

"I'm going to have to pester my father more about hiring more maids. You're being worked silly," I said. She chuckled, but had a look that let me know she agreed.

Once I was finished with breakfast, I stood, but before I could leave, Angela spoke.

"Oh! I almost forgot. Your father asked to see you today for lunch," she said. I was surprised.

"Oh... Alright. Thanks, Angela," I said walking out of the room.

Why would my father want to see me? He never did. Must be something big.

***

"Isabella, I'm glad that you're here," my father said, grinning.

I hadn't even walked into the room yet. I had only just knocked on the door to the banquet hall.

I pushed the huge door open and walked in.

To my surprise, there was another man by my father. He had blonde hair and dark brown eyes.

As I walked in, he stood and bowed deeply to me. I gave him a small nod before turning to my father.

"Angela informed me that you wished to see me?" I asked. He nodded.

"Have a seat, Isabella," my father instructed, gesturing to a seat by him. I sat down, as did he at the head of the table. Once we were seated, the blonde man sat.

"Isabella, let me introduce you to Lord James Austin."

"Hello, Lord Austin," I said politely, hoping that this man would leave soon.

"Princess Isabella, it is such a pleasure to meet you," he said, smiling at me. I didn't return the kind gesture.

"Isabella? Do you remember what I told you when you came off of that... _ship_?" my father asked. I racked my mind. Did he mean when he told me that I would never see my true love again? Other than that, nothing.

"No, father," I replied. "I can't seem to."

"Well, as you know, the war is hard on our country, and myself. I need to know that if anything were to happen to me and your mother, that the country would be left in responsible hands," my father said. I stared at him in pure shock, horror, and confusion. Did this mean that we were going to lose? Soon? If so, what did this have to do with why we were here, and this man... Lord Austin?"

I looked at him to continue. When I didn't say anything, he continued.

"Isabella, Lord Austin is a very responsible man. He knows how to lead, and has the right characteristics." I gaped at him. He was going to leave this man the whole country if he died?! What about me!

"Isabella, I'd like Lord Austin to marry you." I froze. What. The. Hell?! Marry?! I was only sixteen! It wasn't my choice, I already knew that. This was just a much more kind way of putting it.

I glared at my father and stomped out of the room.

***

EPOV

I walked to the edge of the ship next to Alice. I needed her to make sure of something.

Alice turned and looked at me with her newly golden eyes. It was still unusual for me to see this, even though she and Rosalie had been vampires for months. I thought back to that day.

_"Come on, Edward. We need to return to the ship," Jasper said, placing a hand on my shoulder as I gazed after the ship that Bella and her father had just left on an hour ago. It was on the horizon, and would disappear soon. I wanted to watch it as long as I could._

_Once the ship was gone, I turned sadly and began to walk back to the _Blood Moon_ with Jasper, Emmett, Alice, and Rosalie following._

_Out of nowhere, a huge, furry beast flew at Alice and Rosalie, who were walking behind the three of us. I spun around to see a werewolf pinning them both to the ground and clawing them as they screamed._

_Before they could finish the first scream, Jasper, Emmett, and I threw ourselves at the filthy creature, tossing it off of the girls._

_I let my brothers help their loves, now that I didn't have one to look after. I still had one, just..._

_I let go of the thought, flinging myself at the dog. It had a mad look in its eyes. Damn it! How did Emmett not get this one?! I forgave him, though. He just wanted to help us save Bella. He wasn't paying that much attention to if any of the werewolves snuck off._

_As I fought the dog, I heard Jasper and Emmett yelling for help from behind me, pleading something. I quickly finished off my enemy and spun to see a horrid sight._

_My two brothers were leaning over Alice and Rosalie, who both had blood flowing freely from their wounds. Fatal._

_"Jasper! Emmett! Don't just sit there! Help them!" I screamed._

_They looked at me with sad eyes, and I knew that it was too late for the girls. Their heartbeats were getting faint, and I couldn't see them breathing. There was one choice left._

_"Change them!" I yelled. They looked at me through their silent sobs._

_"What if they don't want this life?!" Jasper asked._

_"Does Alice love you? Does Rosalie love Emmett?" I asked Mr. Emotion. Jasper nodded._

_"Then they'll do anything to spend eternity with you! Bite them! Now! Before it's too late!" I said, kneeling beside the four of them._

_Jasper and Emmett looked at one another before nodding._

_At the same time, they leaned down over their love's necks and plunged their venom covered teeth through their skin._

That's how Alice and Rosalie were now vampires, like us. Rosalie was even more beautiful than before, but Bella was still better looking. Alice had her own talent now. Precognition. Alice saw the future. Most of the time.

That's why I needed to talk to her now. I needed to know something that would throw my plan into action.

"Alice?" I asked.

_What?_ she asked in her head.

"Is the plan still a go?" I asked nervously. I had recently learned that Bella's county was at war, and losing. That could be a huge disadvantage to my plan. Or it could make all of the difference.

Alice nodded, and I smiled.

"Speed up, crew! I'd like to get to port by sunrise!" I called to the crew. Just a bit longer. That's what I told myself.

Thanking Alice, I walked back to my cabin. I needed to put the finishing touches on my plan. It would work. It had to.

**A/N: ok ppl wat do ya think?**

**-opinions**

**-guesses**

**-ideas**

**-pov switch thing**

**-alice and rosalie thing**

**-james (and wat he has to do with this story)**

**plz plz plz tell me wat u guys think!!! i really need to know now before i get to far!!!**

**~maddy rose**


	32. Chapter 32

**A/N: ok so there's been a bit of a cunfuzalation and im so sorry bout that!!! i will be continuing this story, in this story. so no sequel (at least yet but idk if there'll be one anyway). thats wat the poll said when i wrote da last chappie, and thats wat im gonna have to go with, cuz thats wat the majority wanted then, and im really sorry if u wanted a sequel instead!!!! but i WILL be continuing in _this _story**

**thx so much reviewers!!! u guys ROCK!!!**

**disclaimer: i so dont own twilight**

I didn't want to marry James Austin!!! No! How could my father do this to me?! I don't give a damn about this man! I just want Edward!

I lay on my bed, sobbing into the soft, poofy pillow, as I had been for hours on end. It was almost 10:00 pm now, and I still couldn't get over the fact that I was _engaged_!!! To a man I had never seen before! Hell, I'd never even heard of him!

I knew that my father didn't care. He just "wanted what was best for his country", blah blah blah. Like I've never heard that one before. I wasn't at all surprised that my father hadn't come up to talk to me yet. He had probably just told that James guy that I was so happy I needed time to myself and then gone off.

With a sigh, I closed my eyes and hoped for sweet unconsciousness. When it finally came, I embraced it.

***

I opened my eyes to the sunlight and looked over at the clock. 9:15 am. I'd slept for quite a bit of time.

My eyes were still dry and stinging from the night before, and I still wore my dress.

I stood and threw off the dress, realizing how much I hated it suddenly. I dug under my bed and pulled out a small stack of clothes that I hadn't worn in months. I really wasn't supposed to, either, but I just had to get out of the dresses today! My parents wouldn't notice. I probably wouldn't even see them for the whole day.

I dug through the shorts and shirts and selected some white shorts with a light green babydoll top. It wasn't too casual, so I couldn't be called on it. Hopefully.

I put on the clothes and shoved the rest back under the bed, pulling out a pair of lace-up shoes as I did. They were kind of like tennis shoes, just not sporty. Plain white.

After tying those, I jumped up and looked out of the window, hoping to see William to cheer me up a bit. If he could.

To my luck, it was just William and his friend beneath the window.

"Will!" I called as quietly as I could.

His head and his friend's head snapped up in my direction and focused on me.

"Finally awake, Princess Bella?" he asked, smiling. I smiled back. He was the only one who called me Bella, even if it had the word "princess" before it.

"Yes, I had a rather... depressing and obnoxious day yesterday," I replied.

"I'm really sorry to hear that," he said, frowning. Then his face lit up. "I have some news to cheer you up, though!" he called. I was instantly suspicious.

"And what might that be?" I asked.

"Your father finally complied to your wishes! There are now more maids, although some are men, so I don't know what to call them, and a new cook."

So this was my father's way of trying to get me to agree with him. Sorry, not happening. I will not be lightened by a bribe.

I put on a happy face for William and then called, "Thanks so much for telling me! I'm going to go and see Angela, and see if she'll let me meet some of them!"

He nodded, smiling at my fake enthusiasm, and I grinned back before turning and striding over to the door. I opened it and, without even glancing at the guards, ran down the hallway. They were used to it by now.

I raced down the third-floor stairs, running my hand along the cool marble railing. About ten steps from the bottom of the stairs, the tip of my foot caught, and I flew face first towards the hard, stone floor. This had happened at least six times a week, so I was used to it. I should probably stop running down the stairs.

I knew that I would hit the floor any second now, so I shut my eyes and waited for impact. It never came.

Instead, two stone-hard arms wrapped around my waist and shoulders, and pulled me close. I gasped, jerking my eyes open and looking up into those long-lost liquid golden eyes that swam with emotion.

I couldn't believe it. That beautiful, perfect face with bronze, messy hair. He was here.

Edward.

Without another thought, I threw my arms around his neck and kissed him passionately. He placed his stone hands on my hips and pulled me into his perfect chest. Our lips molded to one another's and my skin burned with a painless fire.

After a minute, my lungs burned. I reluctantly broke away, and gasped deeply for the much needed oxygen.

"Edward," I said, hugging him.

"Bella," he replied, rubbing circles on my back.

"Where...what...how?" I ended up asking. He chuckled and gestured to his outfit. It was a plain white shirt, an apron, and white pants. It was the outfit of the old chef, so I assumed that he was the new one.

"Cook. And the others are guards and maids," he said, and it dawned on me that Jasper, Emmett, Alice, and Rosalie must be working here, too, now.

Then I realized that if someone else caught us like this, we were dead. Or at least I was.

"Edward, if I'm caught..." I said, breaking free of the hug.

"Don't worry, the guards are all away, but they will be returning soon, so perhaps you're right. Let's go into the kitchen," Edward suggested. I nodded, and he was gone. To the kitchen, like he said, I guessed.

I took off, being more careful this time, and went into the kitchen, where Edward was waiting with a plate full of strawberries, blueberries, pancakes, and a fruit dip.

"Edward, how-"

"You eat while I talk," he smiled, setting the food down. I nodded and took a seat, and he sat across from me.

After I had taken the first bite (delicious!), he began.

"I knew that I had to find you. We've been thinking of ways to get to you for months now, and then this opportunity came with the new jobs. It took awhile for them to consider us trustworthy enough to let us in the gates, but just yesterday, they hired us. Emmett and Jasper are guards, and Alice and Rosalie are maids. I, obviously, am the new cook. How's the food?"

My mouth was full, so I just nodded eagerly. He chuckled. How I missed that marvelous sound!

"Well, that's how we got here. I'm sure that you'll see Alice any moment now, considering she's bounding towards the kitchen as we spe-"

The door burst open, and I was yanked up from my chair as a joyful squeal filled the kitchen. Two small-but-hard arms enveloped me and I hugged the pixie back.

"Alice!" I said happily. She started to repeat my name nonstop.

"Calm down, Alice, you don't want anything to happen," Edward said with a warning tone in his voice. Next thing I know, Alice was across the table by him, looking happily at me with her gold eyes. Gold eyes.

"Since when are you a vampire?!' I asked. She grinned.

"Right after you left!" she cried.

"The moment that your ship disappeared from my view, a leftover werewolf emerged and mauled Alice and Rosalie. I finished him, but it was too late. Jasper and Emmett had to bite them, and now they're vampires," Edward explained.

"Another werewolf?!" I asked. They both nodded.

"I thought it was only Jacob!" I said, slumping back down into my seat.

"Nope. The whole ship was werewolf infested. Emmett had killed all but one of them without knowing one lived," Alice said.

"So... Rosalie's a vampire, too?" I confirmed. They nodded. Then Alice's head perked up.

"She's coming!" she said excitedly.

"Who?" I asked, confused.

"Rosalie!" Alice replied.

"Since Alice was turned, she acquired her own ability. She can see the future," Edward explained. I stared at them.

"Cool!"

"Bella!" I turned at Rosalie's voice, but before I could see her, I was wrapped in her hug.

"Rosalie!" I said, returning the gesture.

She took a step back and looked at me.

"So I'm guessing that they told you?" she asked. I nodded.

"Yep. About you and Alice, and about finding me," I replied.

"Bella, you must know some things." I turned back to Edward when he spoke, suddenly nervous.

"What?" I asked hesitantly.

"Well, you mustn't pay any more attention to us than you would any other maid, cook, or guard if you see us, unless we are in your room or in here alone. If too much attention is brought to us, people will begin to get suspicious.

"Another thing, you'll have to be extremely cautious not to bleed around Alice or Rosalie. They're doing great, but it will still take another month or so before they can begin to handle the scent of human blood," he warned. I glanced at the girls, who looked rather uncomfortable, and nodded.

To try and make things less tense, I decided to ask if we could go and see Jasper and Emmett.

"Yes! They'll love to see you! They've both missed you so much!" Alice exclaimed before I could ask.

"The guys?" Rosalie asked. I nodded.

Alice grabbed my arm and began to pull me towards the door, but Edward was in front of us before we reached it.

"No. We have to go separately and secretively. Bella, you may go ahead, they're outside your room, but don't forget about the other guards that walk around the hallway on your bedroom floor. Make sure they're not around when talking to Jasper and Emmett," Edward instructed.

"Alright. When will I be able to talk to you guys again?" I asked.

"Well, I'm done for the night after you and your parents are asleep and Alice and Rosalie are done when they finish their work, which should be at night, and Jasper and Emmett are relieved of their duties around 8:00 to nineish tonight, so if you want to see us, we should be able to meet in here. Nobody but you has come here today, other than that nice maid, Angela," Edward told me.

"Okay. I'll see you here tonight, than," I said, giving him a quick kiss before heading out of the kitchen.

After I shut the door, I realized what had happened. The Cullens, Alice, and Rosalie were back! The hole in me had mended itself, and the pieces of my life were falling back into place. I had a reason to live again.

With a deep breath, I rushed through the hall and up the first flight of stairs (thankfully without tripping). I was doing great until I got to my hallway, when I fell flat on my face.

"Damn it," I grumbled. I heard laughter come from a few feet away, and looked up to see Jasper and Emmett laughing at my clumsiness. I didn't have time to scold them for laughing.

Like Edward, Alice, and Rosalie, I ran towards them, and Emmett squeezed me into a giant hug. I threw my arms around him, smiling.

"You haven't changed," Emmett said as I fell out of his arms and into Jasper's, who was waiting to catch me. I could actually fit my arms around his back, unlike Emmett.

"I can't believe that you're all here!" I exclaimed as Jasper let go of me.

"Yes, well, Jasper wanted a uniform as a reminder of his humanity," Emmett smirked. Jasper glared at him.

"So I take it you saw Edward and the girls?" Jasper asked.

"Yes. We've been in the kitchen for about half an hour, but I wanted to see you both, too," I said.

"Aww! Bella loves us, Jasper!" Emmett said, ruffling my hair.

Suddenly they both froze, but didn't stop smiling.

"Bella, the guards are coming back this way. Head into your room. We'll knock when our shift is over if you're still in there," Jasper instructed. I nodded, and went into my room, shutting the door behind me before sinking into the thick carpet with an overwhelming sense of happiness overtake me. I grinned and shut my eyes.

***

The next thing that I know, it was 8:47 pm. I had fallen asleep. I wondered what had awakened me, but then I became conscious of the soft knocks on the door. Not knowing what to do, I knocked back. The knocks ceased, and I heard footsteps retreating down the hallway, and a minute later two more pairs stop outside my door as the night guards took their places.

I ran over to the mirror and brushed out my hair, making it look smooth. Once I figured I looked fine, I opened the door and ran down the hallway. It had only been a few hours, but already I missed Edward. I didn't want to lose him again.

I ran down the three flights of stairs before freezing.

"Bella!" I heard that voice.

"Lord Austin, I didn't know that you were here," I commented as I spun. He was grinning a stupid grin that I wanted to knock right off of his face.

"I didn't know that princesses could wear that," he said, gesturing to my outfit.

"Well, we can, and that's none of your business," I said coldly.

"I'm sorry to of offended you, Princess Isabella, and please, call me James," he said. No, I would not call him James. That would sound too informal, and I was his superior.

"Well, I have not had supper yet, so if you'd forgive me, I'd like to go eat," I said, glaring at him.

"Of course! I'm terribly sorry to of kept you. I shall hope that we meet again soon," he said, bowing.

I walked right past him, calling over my shoulder, "Good night, Lord Austin."

I slammed the door to the kitchen shut and looked around to see five pairs of curious topaz eyes staring me.

"What was that all about?" Edward asked.

"Yeah, what did that poor moron ever do to you?" Emmett asked, chuckling.

"Why were you mad?" Jasper asked.

Alice and Rosalie were silently waiting for my answer.

"That was Lord Austin," I growled.

"And what's so bad about him?" Rosalie asked.

I sighed. This might turn out badly, but they did have a right to know.

"He's my fiance."

**A/N: yay!!! they're back!!! wat do u think?! and wat do u think they will say/do? wat do u think james will have to do with this story? plzplzplz review and let me kno so i kno wat ppl think and wat they like!!!**

**~maddy rose**


	33. Chapter 33

**A/N: sry about da wait guys!!! i had a small writers block and i was also sick. ive been home for a few days... thx so much for all da reviews tho!!! i luv checking my emails now!!! :D**

**k this is pretty long, but not super-duperish long, so enjoy!!!**

**disclaimer: i so dont own twilight**

"He's my fiance."

They all gaped at me like I was insane. Then Edward looked a bit hurt, and then happy.

"Sooo... you don't _want_ to marry him?" Edward asked.

"Of course not! It's obvious enough, by the way that she acted toward him!" Rosalie snapped.

"No. Never," I murmered sadly. "I don't exactly have a choice."

"Oh Bella!" Alice said, wrapping her arms around me.

"Does he want to marry you?" Edward asked.

"I think so. It sure seems like it," I sighed. Edward looked enraged, and Jasper flinched.

"Dude, watch the moodswings!" Jasper said.

"Why don't you get to decide? Is this your father's doing?!" Edward asked, raising his voice.

"Yes, it is my father's doing, and no, I don't get a say in the matter," I spat.

"Calm it down, Edward!" Emmett said, grapping Edward's wrist. Edward's fist was clenched and even more pale than usual.

"Bella?" Our heads snapped towards the servant's entrance at Angela's voice. I panicked. What would she think of me sitting here with all of them?!

"Yes, Angela?" I asked.

"Err... I just though that I should warn you that Lord Austin is asking for you," she said.

"So you heard our little arguement?" I asked. She nodded. I thought of a cover for what she was seeing.

"Alright," I said before turning to the others. "Well, so I'm glad that I was able to introduce myself. I must be going now." They nodded, standing as I stood.

"Angela? He's here, looking for her. I told him that she would be right there." Another voice entered the kitchen, and I saw a red-haired maid poke her head into the room. Victoria. Ugh. I despised her. Always being nosey. And now I had to see Lord Austin again because she had agreed.

"I don't think that it was your job to tell him if or if not I shall be seeing him, but since you already did so, where is he?" I glared.

"In the living room," Victoria said. I could've sworn I heard smugness in her voice.

I stormed out and into the center of the first floor of the palace to see Lord Austin sitting on a couch. He stood when I entered the room.

"Princess Isabella, I am terribly sorry for whatever occured earlier. I apologize," he said. Apology not accepted.

"I can tell that you do not want to marry me, but I promise that I will be perfect for you. I will do whatever it takes to have you truely love me," he said. If he wanted me to like him, then he should just walk away and never let me see him again.

"Please, Lord Austin. I'm very tired and wish to sleep," I said, doing whatever it took to get away from him.

"Of course, Princess, I'll leave you to do that. Good night," he said, bowing and walking towards the entrance hall. When I heard the door open and close, I sighed and collapsed into one of the sofas.

"Isabella." My father's voice echoed in this room.

"How could you, father? I don't wish to marry him! I don't care about him! I only love the one that you forced me to leave!" I said, letting some of my anger out on him.

"Isabella, it is certain now. He came here this afternoon to confirm it. We have arranged a ball to celebrate the engagment. It is in four days. Your wedding will be soon, also. We cannot afford to hold it off too long," my father said, ignoring what I said. I choked, and tried to hold back tears. It was already official? I had known that it would be eventually, but this soon!

I got up from the couch and raced up the stairs. Thankfully I did not fall. I ran down the hallway and to my door, which I threw open and slammed shut behind me.

I let the tears fall now. They were so thick that I could not see through them. So I was surprised when a pair of strong, cold arms wrapped around me and pulled me onto the bed. I didn't ask how Edward had gotten in my room, I just curled up in his arms as he stroked my hair and murmered things into my ear comfortingly.

I cried into his shirt until I felt the soreness of my red eyes. I inhaled Edward's scent as I drifted into sweet nothingness.

***

"Bella?!"

"Shh! She's not awake yet, Alice!"

"Why not? It's almost nine!"

"Shut up! You'll wake-"

"Edward?" I mumbled after waking to his and Alice's hushed voices.

"See Alice! I told you!"

"Yay! You're awake! Took long enough..."

I slowly opened my eyes to take in my surroundings. I was still curled up in Edward's arms, but Alice was leaning over my face with a disapproving look on her face. Stupid pixie...

"What, Alice?" I asked grumpily.

"Come on! We have to pick out your outfit for today!" she said, grabbing my arm and pulling me out of Edward's grasp.

"Hey!" I protested.

"Alice," Edward growled.

"Go away, Edward. Unless you want to see her change?" I blushed at this, and if he could, Edward would be too. He looked flustered and embarassed.

"Uh... I'll see you for breakfast, alright Bella?" he asked. I nodded before remembering something.

"How will you get out? There are guards in the hallway and on the ground outside my window," I asked.

"Through the closet, of course," he grinned.

"What?" The closet?

"Through the closet. Didn't you know? There are tunnels that lead all throughout the palace. We found out about them yesterday," he explained. Tunnels?

"Obviously not!" I said, slightly annoyed. "Who else knows about them?"

"Only us, including the others," Alice said. "Now get out, Edward!"

Edward gave me a peck on the lips and then disappeared into the closet, where I heard a faint 'click'.

"Alice, how about I justs get dressed myself?" I suggested.

"No! I get to help you!" she said, digging through the closet.

"This won't do."

"Why the hell do you even have this?"

"Who picked out your wardrobe! It's horrid!"

"This isn't even your color!"

"Damn it!"

"Certainly NOT!"

Alice rambled on as I sat on my bed staring blankly at her. Finally, she pulled one out.

"Really, Alice. Does it have to be a dress?" I asked. She gasped.

"Of course it does! You're royalty!" She threw a midnight blue dress at me. I hesitantly picked it up with two fingers to inspect it. It wasn't _too_ formal, but... The bottom was one of those flowing designs that when you spin, acts like an umbrella.

"You can't be serious?" I asked, raising an eyebrow at Alice. She scolded and pulled me off of the bed.

"Yes, Isabella. I am serious. It will look great. Now, put it on, or I'll put it on you myself," she threatened. I thought for a split second before deciding that she was serious. I took off my clothes from yesterday and hid them under the bed before lifting the dress up and looking at it again. How the hell did I get this on?

"Err... I don't know, Alice, it-"

Alice rolled her eyes and snatched the dress from me, tugging it over my head. I put my arms through it so she didn't dislocate them trying. Once it was on, she started messing with it. Now it was my turn to roll my eyes. When did she get this into fashion?

"There. Perfect. I told you it would look good on you!" she said, stepping back to look me over. I looked over into the mirror and mentally shrugged. Not too bad.

"I'll see you later!" she exclaimed, and when I looked at her she was gone. Suddenly the ground shook, and I fell on my face.

I groaned in pain and stood up carefully, bracing myself for another shake. Sure enough, as soon as I was up, the palace trembled. I made my way over to the window and looked out.

It was a dreary day. There was an overcast, and the sky was filled with smoke rising from the villages. I sighed. We wouldn't last much longer. The past two shakes were much stronger than any before. What would happen when they took the palace? What would they do with me? I hoped that if they were to take the palace soon, it would be before I was wed to Lord Austin. At least then I wouldn't have to worry about it.

I jumped a foot in the air when there was a knock on the door, and landed on my butt. I heard chuckles come from the hallway. Emmett and Jasper.

I got to my feet and went over to the door, pulling it open to reveal Jasper and Emmett snickering.

"What?" I snapped as they laughed.

"Haha Bella, we didn't mean to scare you," Emmett laughed.

"Sorry, Bella," Jasper said, composing himself, unlike another one of my friends.

"What do you want?" I snapped, glaring at Emmett.

"Well, Edward is in the kitchen, when you're ready," Jasper said.

"Aw come on, Bella! Can't we just say hi?" Emmett chuckled, patting my shoulder. I shrugged him off and sighed.

"Sorry guys. You just scared me," I admitted.

"We kind of figured, after we heard a 'thud'," Emmett said.

"Hmm. I'll see you two morons later." I pushed past Emmett and made my way down to the kitchen.

Like the day before, however, Lord Austin was in the sitting room, waiting for me. I groaned when he made his way towards me.

"What?" I asked as he stepped in front of me.

"Princess," he said, bowing and pulling a bouquet of red roses from behind his back. "These are for you, and might I say, you look gorgeous in that stunning dress," he said. I didn't know how to insult him, and was honestly a bit flustered by his words. I thought for a moment as I cautiously took the roses.

"Thank you," I said when I couldn't think of anything better. He _could_ be a good friend, just not a good husband. I suddenly felt a sting of remorse for being so rude. He didn't know about Edward. My father knew, though. I was mad at my father, but James didn't do anything. I still did _not_ want to marry him, however.

"James, I'm sorry for acting so rude the past couple of days. I'm just not ready to get married," I apologized.

"I assure you, it will all be fine," he grinned. I internally groaned.

"Well, if you'll excuse me," I said, trying to tell him that this conversation was finished. He got the hint and left.

I sighed and went into the kitchen, where Edward was waiting with a plate of food and a look on his face. I knew that he had heard the talk with James.

"I'm sorry. It's just not his fault. It's my father's," I told him guiltily. He could tell that I was in need of a hug, so he set the food down and enveloped me in his arms.

"What am I going to do?" I whispered into his chest.

"It'll be alright," he murmered, pulling me onto his lap in a chair.

After a while of his comforting, he gently grapped my chin and made me look into his topaz eyes, dazzling me. He leaned in and gently kissed me. My heart soared, and I wrapped my arms around his neck, tangling my fingers in his bronze hair, and deepened the kiss, moaning. For the moment, I forgot about everything besides us. All of my worries disappeared into oblivion, and it was only Edward and myself that existed in peace and love. There was no James, no war, no worry of how long I get with my friends, no inconsiderate father; it was just us, and that was all that mattered.

Far too soon, I needed oxygen. My lungs burned, and Edward could here my heart speeding up. He gently pulled my head away as I gasped for air, grinning stupidly. He chuckled at my expression.

"Did that help?" he asked. I could only nod as he spun me on his lap so that I faced the plate in front of us.

"Eat," Edward instructed. I still couldn't talk, so I just picked up the fork and put the delicious waffle in my mouth.

"Did I tell you how beautiful you look in that dress?" I blushed, and ignored him. He chuckled as my cheeks reddened.

We sat together long after I had finished eating, just enjoying each other's company, and the rest of the day went by in a blur. Rosalie and Alice had joined me in my room in the afternoon and I told them what little things had happened while I was here. Jasper and Emmett were guarding my empty room until tonight, so I couldn't do anything with them. I didn't see James or my parents (big surprise) at all.

I had a late dinner. I went down to the kitchen to see Edward, Alice, and Rosalie sitting around the table with a plate of food already set. I pulled up a seat between Edward and Rosalie and began to eat.

"Bella?" Edward said to get my attention.

"Mm?" I said, my mouth full.

"I was wondering if you were up for exploring the tunnels with us tonight? We were going to get to know them, and thought that you might want to join us," Edward explained.

"Sounds great. When?" I asked, swallowing.

"Once Jazz and Emmett get off," Alice said.

"We'll meet you in your room," Rosalie added.

"Alright. Will I need anything?" I asked.

"Well, you might want to change into something that can get a bit dirty. We don't know how dirty it is down there. And wear walking shoes. The tunnels are long. We'll bring light of some sort," Edward told me. I nodded and set my empty plate in the sink before walking up stairs.

Jasper and Emmett were still standing outside my bedroom door, and I winked at them as I went in.

Once the door was shut behind me, I threw the oh-so-wonderful dress that Alice had forced me into and dug under the bed for something more casual. I settled for some shorts and a T-shirt, and pulled out the shoes I had worn yesterday.

After dressing, I fixed up my hair and face. Then I sat on the bed, bored. Tick-tock. Tick-tock.

After ten minutes of extreme uselessness:

"Bella? Are you set?" Finally! I was beginning to think that they wouldn't show!

"Yup!" I said, standing and running towards the closet. Right as I yanked the door open, the ground shook with more strength than ever, and I toppled over. Luckily, Rosalie was ready and steadied me before I hit the floor.

"Let's go!" I exclaimed after gaining balance. At my words, all the vampires glared at Emmett, who looked down sheepishly.

"What?" I groaned. What did Emmett do this time?!

"Emmett was asked to carry the flashlight," Edward snapped. Oh. That's what could go wrong.

"And?" I pressed.

"He dropped it. It rolled over the edge of a very high staircase. It took two minutes for it to smash into bits on the ground far below."

I gulped. They didn't inform me that we had to walk through stairs that were obviously _very very high._

Jasper snapped his gaze on me when the fear grew, and Edward followed after hearing his thoughts.

"Don't worry, Bella. We'll keep you safe. We're going first, and even if something does happen, we'll catch you. Hitting the ground won't hurt us," Jasper said, attempting to comfort me.

"Besides, Alice doesn't see anything occuring," Edward added, wrapping an arm around me. That did comfort me a bit, along with some added help from Jasper, so I gathered up my courage.

"Ok. Let's go, then," I said, stepping forwards. Before I could go any further, however, Edward spun me to face him.

"Um... We're going to need some light. Do you have a flashlight we could use? Or matches?" he asked. I nodded and ran back into my room, digging through drawers until I found both. I clicked the flashlight to make sure it worked, and a ray of white light spread across the room. I handed it to them, and before Emmett could take it, Jasper snatched it, growling lightly at him.

"Now we can go," Alice chirped as she put her arm through Jasper's and led the way. Edward gestured for us to go next, so I took a deep breath and ducked through the opening and into the darkness.

When my feet hit (almost) solid ground... or wood... I let out a sigh of relief, and Edward joined me, wrapping his arm around my waist and leading us on. It was cool, almost cold. The air prickled along my skin, which was almost glowing in the faint light. There weren't any stairs, yet, so I was alright; however, I refused to look to the left, over a wooden railing, knowing there would be nothing but air between me and the ground far below.

Once Emmett and Rosalie had shut the door behind them, the only light was a beam from where Jasper and Alice were a few feet ahead. It was completely silent, and I could hear my own heart pounding in my chest, along with my rough breathing. I decided to break the uncomfortable silence.

"How much have you guys explored yet?" I asked.

"Not much. Mainly from here to the servant's quarters, but a couple tunnels that are off to the side. This is the central zone for the maze, we guess, because it has loads of tunnels leading off of it. We haven't had a chance to explore much, though. What we do know is that it is a long drop down, no thanks to _Emmett_," Rosalie told me, glaring at the big vampire menacingly.

A frightening thought came to me.

"Then... Some of the passages could lead outside?" I asked. The vampires looked at one another and shrugged.

"Suppose so," Edward said.

"Than couldn't people get _in_?" What if France found a way into the palace through the tunnels? They could get practically anywhere, by the looks of it.

"Well, yeah, but they'd probably end up killing themselves," Emmett said with a grin. Rosalie smacked him.

"Well they would! I mean, really, not all of these passages have to lead somewhere. Jasper, shine the light down there," Emmett instructed, pointing over the railing and down some. Jasper did so, and we saw a dozen doors on the wall, along with some more wooden stairs.

"See! There isn't anything for them to step on once out of the door! They'd fall into oblivion! And from the bit of exploring I did myself-" we glared at Emmett. Obviously none of us knew that he had been exploring alone. "-not all of these doors have pleasant surprises behind them." He shuddered at a memory and muttered something along the lines of 'it wasn't supposed to have teeth... or claws' before continuing. "And I got lost for hours! They'd die without food and water! I had to break through two walls to get back out here!" That explains some of the shaking.

"Damn! This place has to be pretty old! I'd've never thought!"

"So that's where you were for hours that night! Getting yourself lost!" Rosalie scolded. Emmett didn't look affected.

We stood in silence again for a few minutes before Alice gave a small jump, making me leap into Edward's arms. Everyone chuckled and snickered as I grew red. Thank goodness it was darkish!

"I was going to say, let's go!" Alice bounced, tugging Jasper down the first stairs. I took a deep breath and followed them, testing each step before moving on. After about twenty safe steps, I moved a bit quicker, only to run into a hard and cold wall. I started to fall to the side, but then the hard and cold wall wrapped its arms around me and chuckled lightly.

"Sorry about that. I forgot that you couldn't see very well," came Jasper's voice, and then he pointed the flashlight towards me, but not on me as he balanced me.

"Bella? Do you still have those matches?" Rosalie asked. What would she need fire for?

"Umm yeah, why?"

"Well, there's this funny torch thing in the wall, and I want to see if it lights the whole place up, like in that movie... _National Treasure,_" came Emmett's voice from beside her. I had to snicker as I dug the matches from my pocket, handing them to Rosalie. I didn't trust Emmett with fire.

Rosalie glared at him and said "What he means, is, that now we can see where this place is- near your room- whenever we work our way out to this giant cavern that smells like sh-"

"NO!!!" My heart jumped when Emmett's voice echoed through the place. I turned to see him making a dent in the wall with his head.

"WHAT?!" Alice and I yelled at him, both startled.

"It didn't work!" he fake sobbed. Alice sighed, and I groaned and rolled my eyes. Edward and Jasper were chuckling at our reactions.

"Come on. Let's head down this tunnel," Alice suggested, pointing to a tunnel a few feet down the stairs. We nodded, and Rosalie grabbed a still-sobbing Emmett by the ear as we went into the passage.

I shivered slightly as Edward and I followed Alice and Jasper. The tunnel had a slight dampness to it. We heard Emmett's dry sobs and knew that he and a very pissed Rosalie were following behind us.

We passed many doors, but no one even suggested opening them.

After about ten minutes, Jasper and Alice stopped.

"We should at least open one," Jasper said, and Emmett came bouncing from behind us. I heard Rosalie huff as she stood by my side.

Without waiting for an answer, Emmett yanked the door open and Edward jumped in front of me as protection. I tensed, but when nothing happened, I relaxed and looked over Edward's shoulder. Emmett walked sadly out of the room and looked at us.

"Nothing..." he sighed, before his eyes sparkled and he jumped. Uh oh. This couldn't be good. The other's obviously thought the same, but Emmett was already bounding through the passage way, tearing every door open, until stopping at one open one and summoning us over.

Edward growled warningly before he did anything.

"It's fine, Eddie. Nothing's gonna hurt your girlfriend," Emmett said. Edward concentrated on his mind for a moment, and, finding nothing wrong, lead me over to where he and Jasper were now standing. Alice and Rosalie joined us in a blur, and we looked warily into the room Emmett had selected.

There was nothing but the gray stone walls, and a rickety wooden door opposite of us.

Emmett led the way into the room quickly, and we followed cautiously.

The moment we were all in the room, the door snapped shut. We spun around, and Jasper shone the light on the door as Rosalie walked over to it and tugging at the knob.

"It's locked from the outside," she said.

"It's trying to make us go through this door. Let's just smash the wall!" Emmett suggested, taking a step back for a good start.

"NO!" Alice screamed, and Emmett froze.

"Why not?" he whined.

"If you do, this whole part of the palace will collaspe upon us!" Alice said, still in her raised voice.

"Damn it!"

"Than that means..."

"The only way out is through that door, with who-knows-what behind it."

Now what? We were stuck in this old, smelly, cold room, and the only way out was through the door. What happens when it's opened? What if even the vampires can't protect me, or even themselves?

**A/N: INSANELY LONGISH NOTE!!! BUT REALLY REALLY IMPORTANT!!! PLZ PLZ PLZ READ IT!!!**

**k folks, once again i am SO SRY about the wait!!! plz dont hate me for it!!! i thought that this chappie was decent, though, and i for one am pleased enough with the length of it.  
****soooo... i have some questions to help me make the story better as it nears its ending. this will affect the whole outcome possibly, so plz review with these things if u can. wat do u think about:  
****-the tunnels  
-wat they have to do with the story  
-wat happens next (and wats behind the door)  
-bella and james' 'relationship'  
-opinions  
****the story will be over, i dont know how soon or how many more chappies, but not too far off, and PLZ!!! i would LOVE if i reached 1000 reviews, so PLEASE REVIEW and help me to reach my goal!!! i will be soooooo happy and eternally grateful if we did!!!  
plz dont forget to review with the above, or if u really cant, just yay or nay (however u spell it :P)  
thx so much to all my every chappie reviewers, and everyone else!!! i really really appreciate it all!!! and i luv to see the same names over and over again, along with those new ones (and yes, i do pay attention :P)  
pretty plz with icecream and a cherry on top: review!!! it makes me happy. my mom noticed that, while reading the reviews last time, that i was smiling like crazy without knowing it, and thought that i was insane!!! lol well we already kno that i am, but do not worry! i enjoy insanity ;D  
plz make me smile like that again!!! review plz!!! with the stuff above plz!!! but plz review!!!  
oh, and a little contest for fun, i dont have a prize, but i will mention u in the next chappie if u are the closest: how many words does this chappie have, including both author's notes ;D u have until i post the next chappie to guess, but PLZ, for ur own sake, DO NOT try and count the words. sheesh.**

**~MaDdY rOsE**


	34. Chapter 34

**A/N: cheaters!!! haha oh well i shouldn't have been stupid enough to forget about word count on microsoft :D most of u guys outsmarted me, but some of you guessed :D thx to the guessers!!! and i cant be mad at those who didnt, honestly i dont really care :D so yea it was 4428 :D and im not sure why, but the word counter on ff says 4828 (???) why, i have no idea, but there were many winners: PrincessJess94, Darkness-Kreaps-In, crazy guard girl, chucky styles, crazy kookey, and iloveedwardcullen5!!! :D**

**as for the two and a half week wait, im sure that most of u kno how the thing with school goes. school before computer. or thats wat my mom says anyway... *sigh* im so sorry! and jw but has that thing where u push the save button on ff, then it says "im sorry, u need to log in first" happened to anyone else? that pissed me off...**

**and thx soooo much to all of my reviewers!!! i luv u all!!! u guys r awesome and r the reason the story is going :D**

**disclaimer: i so dont own twilight**

* * *

**Recap:**

The moment we were all in the room, the door snapped shut. We spun around, and Jasper shone the light on the door as Rosalie walked over to it and tugging at the knob.

"It's locked from the outside," she said.

"It's trying to make us go through this door. Let's just smash the wall!" Emmett suggested, taking a step back for a good start.

"NO!" Alice screamed, and Emmett froze.

"Why not?" he whined.

"If you do, this whole part of the palace will collaspe upon us!" Alice said, still in her raised voice.

"Damn it!"

"Than that means..."

"The only way out is through that door, with who-knows-what behind it."

Now what? We were stuck in this old, smelly, cold room, and the only way out was through the door. What happens when it's opened? What if even the vampires can't protect me, or even themselves?

* * *

We paced the room impatiently while Alice looked into the future, trying to see our possibilities.

"I can't tell. No one has their minds made up," she complained, and I sighed. Great...

"Well, I say we just open the damn door. What's the worst that can happen?" Emmett suggested with a shrug.

"Emmett!" Rosalie just said.

"Well he has a point..." Jasper grumbled. He obviously agreed with Emmett, and I thought. If we were going to have to open the door anyway, why not just get it over with?

Without telling any of the others what I was doing, I strode over to the door, thankfully not falling, and closed my eyes before yanking it open. I held my breath without looking at was behind the door, waiting for anything from a burst of pain to a carrot to jump out at me.

Suddenly a happy shout filled the air, and two arms embraced me. My eyes shot open, but all that I could see was caramel strings. I quickly recognized the color and felt all happy inside.

"Esme!" I gasped, wrapping my arms around her happily. I looked past her hair and saw Carlisle smiling at us with a much larger Jadyn wobbling by his side, grasping his fingers tightly.

"How the hell did you three get here?!" Emmett yelled happily, making the whole room shake. We all laughed.

"And why?" Alice added with a huge smile spread across her face.

I let go of Esme so that she could help Carlisle explain, but stood close. She was like a mother to me, and much better than my real mother.

"Well, do you remember how we said that those guys wouldn't follow us?" Carlisle began as Rosalie scooped Jadyn up in her arms, murmering happily to her. Jadyn giggled. She must be about fourteen months old by now.

We nodded to answer Carlisle's question. I remembered how he told me that Jacob and his friends wouldn't bother them if they went back home. It had been over six months ago.

"Well, it seems that I was mistaken. About a week after all of you left, two men that looked like Jacob Black turned up at the house while Esme and Jadyn were at home. I was at work. They asked Esme where you were headed-" Esme cut her husband off.

"They asked me where you guys had sailed off to, but I wasn't paying attention. I could smell something funny, and it took me a moment to figure it out. It had been a long time since I had last smelled it. This is very important, and I think that you should know. Jacob and his friends are-"

"Dead."

"Werewolves."

"Bastards.

Edward, Emmett, and Jasper answered at the same time. Esme looked shocked, so Carlsile asked.

"How do you know? And what do you mean by dead?" he asked suspiciously.

"We'll explain later. Finish your story first," I said. Alice took Jadyn from Rosalie before anyone could speak.

"Well, yes. I found that they were werewolves, and I knew that they were a threat to Jadyn and myself, so I lied. They obviously believed me, because they left, threatening to return and kill us if I was lying." Esme shuddered by my side.

"Once they had gone, Esme called me at work, urgently telling me to come home and that we had to leave soon. I did so, and she told me what had happened. We left immediately, bringing few things with us. We knew that we had to find you all and warn you before it was too late. We boarded a ship and headed in the direction that you had headed in, but couldn't find you." Obviously. We had doubled back after the first ship came after us. "We searched island after island, and then, one day at a port, we heard that Princess Isabella Swan had been found and returned home a few months ago. That's all that we heard. There was nothing about others returning with her," Carlisle said, glancing at me.

Esme continued for him.

"We knew that we had to get to you before the werewolves, so we headed this way with Jadyn. We arrived, but the soldiers at port wouldn't let us into the land. We sailed back away, creating a back up plan as we went. In the end, we decided to stop at the next port that we could, and swim back to the port we had stopped at before, except this time we went during night. We were silent, and kept Jadyn asleep as we went," Esme explained.

"We snuck through the smokey city, until we were at the palace gates. With all of the guards, we didn't even consider asking to be let in. We instead went around to where there were the least guards. We jumped the gate" because they were vampires, of course " and walked around, looking for an unguarded way in, when we came across a very peculiar looking outline in the wall that humans are not able to notice. We entered it, and have been wandering about for days. We just stopped about an hour ago to feed Jadyn, and then we came across a very nervous looking Bella opening the door. So here we are, now," Esme finished.

We were all very still as the words sunk into our minds. Only Jadyn made little noises.

Finally I decided to ask a question.

"So... you were able to make it through the city without being caught by anyone. How?" I asked, breaking the intense silence. Everyone else chuckled.

"Vampire speed, remember?" Jasper said, pointing out the obvious. Duh.

"Well now I feel like an idiot..." I muttered, and Emmett cracked up. "Can we get out of here?!" I asked, getting irritated.

"Yes. We just have to find a way out, first," Carlisle said.

"Can't we just go out the door that you came in?" Rosalie asked.

"Well, yes, but we haven't found a way into the halls of the palace yet," Esme said. "And don't forget that you have to tell us you're story. Should you tell us now, or will there be a chance later."

I looked at the others, silently telling them that now would be the best time.

"We can tell you now, I suppose," Edward said, pulling me over to his side with a cold arm around my waist.

"Great, because you seem to have a bit of explaining to do," Carlisle said, motioning to where Alice and Jasper stood hand in hand, and then to Emmett and Rosalie, who were leaning against each other. They were all vampires, so I guess that we did owe them an explaination.

"Bella, would you like to begin?" Edward asked. I swallowed, nervous of what Carlisle and Esme would think of the story, but nodded as I took a deep breath and began.

I started at when we left the port that Jacob and his cronies had been at, and continued to when the first ship chased us, when Jacob captured me, and why he wanted me. When I got to the part when it was just Jacob and me in his cabin, I couldn't continue. Instead, I cried into Edward's chest as he, Emmett, Jasper, Alice, and Rosalie finished the story, throwing in their own bits and pieces.

By the time they were done, Esme had pulled me out of Edward's arms and into her own, tearlessly crying with me. Carlisle looked at me sadly and put a hand on my shoulder. I then realized that it was silent and that the only sound was my crying, and I didn't like it. I sucked it up and turned to everyone.

"Let's get out of here. I'm beginning to tire," I said. They all nodded, and Edward took a step toward me.

"I can carry you while you sleep, if you'd like," he suggested. I shook my head.

"No. I want to stay awake."

"Before we go, what will Carlisle, Esme, and Jadyn do when we get back out?" Rosalie asked. Damn. That was a good question.

I turned to them.

"We could stay down here, just closer to the hallways. But Jadyn will need some clothes, food and drink, and we'll need a bath," Esme suggested. I thought about what to do, and then I had an idea.

"You could stay right outside my room, and you could even come in if you were careful not to get caught. Jasper and Emmett are my guards for most of the day. I have a bathroom in the room, and I could sneak food and drink up..." I paused, as a thought came to me.

"When's the last time that you both hunted?" I asked. Carlisle and Esme glanced at each other with dark eyes.

"About a week, I suppose. We'll be alright for now, though," Esme said. I was unsure, but I nodded anyway.

"Hang on. I'm the cook. I can bring animal blood up for you, or send it with Bella," Edward pointed out.

"That will work!" Alice said, assuring us with a vision.

Carlisle nodded. "Then let's get going. I don't know how long this will take us, since vampires are getting lost."

We all followed Carlisle and Esme out of the small, stone room and into a vast array of tunnels, like before. We started heading the way opposite to where Carlisle, Esme, and Jadyn had come. Alice and Rosalie were fussing over who got to hold Jadyn. I simply walked over and took the toddler in my arms. Jadyn goo-ed and giggled, and I wondered if she could speak words yet, or walk. I asked Esme and Carlisle, and they said she could say a few words and walk a bit.

As if to prove their point, Jadyn pointed to Carlisle.

"Car-ly!" she giggled, and Emmett's booming laughter filled the tunnels. The rest of us were chuckling, but Carlisle just took Jadyn's hand and gently shook it.

"She-*gasp*- called you *gasp* Carly!" Emmett said while panting for unneccessary air.

"Well, it's a little hard for a fourteen month old to say 'Carlisle'!" Carlisle said, glaring at Emmett and Jasper, who were still laughing. Edward was chuckling into my ear as we continued with Jadyn in my arms.

We walked for another hour or two, going in circles at least twice. Rosalie and Alice had taken Jadyn back and were trying to get her to say their names while Jasper and Emmett were watching, amused. Carlisle and Esme led the way while I walked beside Edward with an arm around his waist, as he did with me.

I was about to fall asleep on my feet after the second hour. My feet were throbing, and my eyelids felt like lead. Finally, we got back out onto wooden, rickety stairs that led to my room eventually.

"Finally!" Emmett exclaimed.

"Let's look for that torch," Jasper instructed. Emmett had taken the flashlight a while ago and lost it somewhere, so we had been walking in darkness for a while now.

We all spun around in half circles as we looked for the firelight above us. It should be above us, because we had been sloped downward for about twenty minutes. Finally Rosalie spotted it.

"There it is!" she said, pointing up and to the left a bit. My eyes were able to lock onto the light source, and I groaned. It was a long way up.

"It's alright, Bella. We'll get up there quickly. You should really let one of us carry you," Edward said, lifting me up into his arms before I could protest.

"Put me down, Edwarrrrddddd-" I yawned. When I wasn't set down, I told him again. This time he did, planting a kiss on my lips. He then muttered something that sounded a lot like 'stubborn', but I was too tired to care.

"Let's just get started," I said. They followed my wish, and we were off. Esme had ended up with Jadyn, and was craddling the sleeping toddler to her carefully.

I was the third to step onto the wooden stairs, seeing as we had to go single-file. Alice was going first so that she could try and see ahead if anything was to go wrong, and Jasper insisted on following her. I just wanted to get out of here, so I went after him with Edward on my heals. The others were behind him, talking quietly.

Suddenly we came to a halt.

"Al-ice!" I whined.

"Sorry, Bella, but there's a break in the stairs. We're going to need to jump. Someone will take you," she explained. Before I could reply, there was a thud, and then Jasper was gone from in front of me. I looked a few yards ahead to see them looking back at me. I sighed.

"Ok, Edward. But you have to put me down when we're across." He gently scooped me up, and I squeezed my eyes shut as the air whipped around us. Then the whooshing stopped, and I heard another thud behind us. I opened my eyes to see Alice grinning at me and then looked over Edward's shoulder to where Esme was standing with Jadyn. Carlisle joined them, and then Emmett and Rosalie followed.

"Great, now put me down," I demanded. With a chuckle, Edward set me carefully on my wobbley feet and we were off once more.

Over the next half hour we came across six more breaks in the stairs. On each of them Edward brought me across safely. Stairs had crumbled behind us twice, and I had almost fallen over the weak railing once. Thankfully Edward and Jasper had been near.

We were almost to the torch; I could see the fire clearly burning now. I stumbled along wearily as the warm, yellow light grew larger. There was one point that we had to go one at a time over unstable stairs that were spaced. I insisted that Edward let me do this myself. Carefully, I leaped onto the first piece of jutting-out wood, grabbing the smooth wall for a bit of support before lookingn over my shoulder and grinning and a nerve-wrecked Edward. I continued carefully, following Jasper's foot holds and biting my lip in concentration.

Suddenly I was shocked to full consciousness when Alice's shrill voice rang through the still, dry air and a snapping, creaking sound was heard. The ground was suddenly tilted at a very steep, dangerous angle, and I fell forward into the nothingness. My hands grabbed onto air as a sharp scream escaped from my lips. I felt the thrill of free-fall as I spun aimlessly through the air, the air whistling in and out of my ears. It wasn't true, and yet it was, how people say that you see your life pass before your eyes. I only saw flitting pictures of the good things. Edward, Alice, Jasper, Emmett, Rosalie, Esme, Carlisle, Jadyn. Was this what Alice saw in her visions?

Black was filling my own vision, and my scream never stopped. It could've been minutes, or even seconds, but I was still falling. There was no pull in the world that could make me stop as I spun lifelessly through the air.

**A/N: soooo.... wat do u think? wat about the falling? wat about carlisle/esme/jayden? wat about how this changes the outcome of the story? plz review!!! if u review a lot i promise that ill put the next chappie up sooner!!! like a lot sooner... today or tomorrow even, depending on how many :D plz review!!! and this is seriously wat it feels like to freefall, except not everyone screams :D**

**~mAdDy RoSe**


	35. Chapter 35

**A/N: so it wasnt when i said, but i cant help that. my mom keeps making these plans idk about till last second. im only one day off tho.**

**thx so much for all da reviews!!! u guys r awesome!!!**

**disclaimer: still hasnt changed. idoi(i dont own it)**

* * *

**Previously on The Pieces of My Life:**

Suddenly I was shocked to full consciousness when Alice's shrill voice rang through the still, dry air and a snapping, creaking sound was heard. The ground was suddenly tilted at a very steep, dangerous angle, and I fell forward into the nothingness. My hands grabbed onto air as a sharp scream escaped from my lips. I felt the thrill of free-fall as I spun aimlessly through the air, the air whistling in and out of my ears. It wasn't true, and yet it was, how people say that you see your life pass before your eyes. I only saw flitting pictures of the good things. Edward, Alice, Jasper, Emmett, Rosalie, Esme, Carlisle, Jadyn. Was this what Alice saw in her visions?

Black was filling my own vision, and my scream never stopped. It could've been minutes, or even seconds, but I was still falling. There was no pull in the world that could make me stop as I spun lifelessly through the air.

* * *

The air whipped around me, tangling my hair. How long had I been falling? I was surprised that none of them had caught me, with them being vampires. My own shrill scream rung in my ears. Suddenly another sound joined it. I heard crashes all around me, and suddenly I felt wood sting my skin as bits bounced against me. Dark motions swirled around my vision and wood could be heard splintering.

All at once, a throbbing pain split through my head and down my back, and I felt a hot, sticky liquid roll off of me and into air, making deep red cobweb patterns across my face. My screams disappeared as a numb, peaceful darkness overtook my senses.

a a a

"What if she doesn't wake up, Alice? You're visions can change." My Edward's voice filled my pounding head as I regained consciousness. I couldn't feel anything else, apart from my head. It was as if my arms and legs didn't exist at all. There was nothing there.

"She will... She will," came a faint whisper in a soft, tinkling voice. It took quite a bit of thinking to recognize who it belonged to, but then Alice popped into my head.

Who were they talking about? And what were they talking about? Where was I? How did I get wherever I was I? Did I even have a name? All was silent around me as I pondered over these questions in my head with my eyes shut to the world beyond.

"Bella?" His velvet voice snapped me back to reality, and all of the memories returned, more clear than I could recall them happening. Everything from as far back as I could remember to the searing pain mixed with numbness was pushed to the front of my ming, and I felt the need to gasp for oxygen, so I did. My eyes flew open to see my angel's face inches away.

"Edward," I whispered hoarsly. A look of relief spread slowly across Edward's beautiful face, and I took in every detail of it. His dark gold eyes, his perfect nose, his chalky skin, his messy bronze hair, and his smooth, pale, lips, which were slightly parted to reveal his white, sparkly teeth. I couldn't believe that I had almost lost the chance to see him ever again.

As I gazed up at him, his lips parted into a small, relieved smile.

"Bella," he murmered, bringing his lips down onto mine. It was a small kiss, but I felt the spark as it lit up my heart with his love for me. He pulled away and smiled at me. I attempted to return the smile, but I don't think that it worked, so I gave up.

Only then did I become aware of our surroundings. Carlisle, Esme, Jadyn, Jasper, Alice, Emmett, and Rosalie were all standing a few feet away and watching silently. Jadyn looked to be asleep in Emmett's arms.

We were in a semi dark room that had walls of dark gray stone. There was a door on one wall that looked as though it was about to crumble. The only light was coming from a yellow flashlight's beam, which Alice was shining toward us. There was no noise coming from outside the room; I could only hear my own shallow breathing, along with Jadyn's steady, quiet breaths.

Feeling was beginning to spread through me. My fingertips and feet tingled as it made its way toward my chest.

Suddenly Carlisle was at my side in full doctor mode, gently examining me.

"How do you feel, Bella? What hurts? You took quite a fall," he said as he worked. I got my lips to move again as I answered.

"I can't feel much, so nothing hurts... yet. How long have I been out? What happened?" I replied with a few of my own questions. It was Alice who answered.

"You haven't been out long, only about half an hour, but Edward was freaking out. I told him to believe me. As for what happened, the wooden planks that you were on snapped, and you fell. You weren't falling too long, but as we raced back downward to try and save you, the wood gave way beneath us-" that would explain the sounds of snapping "-and we fell, too. Luckily Esme stayed back with Jadyn, or she could've died. It was like dominos. Once some wood fell, the heavy stands that was holding it up would fall, too. There was nothing that we could do. A sharp bit of wood hit you as you fell, and you were knocked unconscious. The wood split open part of your back, and hit your head pretty hard," Alice explained. I took a moment to take it in.

The feeling was back now, and there was a dull pain through my back in a line. I needed a distraction from it and my throbbing head.

"But how am I here, alive?" I asked, trying to get my mind off of the pain. Edward answered as Carlisle continued his prodding.

"After you went unconscious, I was able to push off of the wall and catch you, tumbling into a room. I wasn't able to do anything to help your wounds until Carlisle could say if you had any spine injuries or not, so I waited for them to come, which they got back up, or in Esme and Jadyn's case, down, eventually. We've only all been here for a few minutes," he explained.

"It was one hell of a fall, too," Emmett grinned from Rosalie's side. I had to crack a grin at his positive attitude.

Carlisle had finished his poking and prodding and was now collecting clean cloth from the bag he and Esme had brought along for Jadyn, which I guessed was also a mini medical bag. The dull pain in my back was still there, and no one was talking. I thought of something to ask.

"What time is it?" I decided on asking. Everyone looked around for a time source. Finally Jasper found one.

"Uh... it looks like 5:27 in the morning," he said. I groaned. We had been in these freaking passageways for the whole night.

Carlisle finally found the right cloth and dug out the medical tape and was approaching me with him. I did a double take to make sure there weren't any needles on him and relaxed when I saw there weren't. He got down on his knees beside my still form and looked at Edward, telling him his thoughts.

"Only if she's alright with it," Edward answered hesitantly to the silent question before turning to the others and whispering something at the speed of vampire light. They all stood and left through the rickety door, leaving just Carlisle and me. I suddenly felt nervous as to why they were all leaving. Was there going to be too much blood for even _them _to handle? I turned to Carlisle with a panicked expression on my face. He was looking at me with an uncomfortable look on his own.

"What...?" I asked suspiciously. He looked like he was choosing his words carefully before he finally spoke.

"Well, Bella, the wound is on your back, and it's a bit hard to wrap up properly, unless... Bella, if you don't mind, I'm going to need you take off your shirt, so I can dress the wound."

Oh. That's what the others had to leave for. I felt the blood rush to my cheeks when I thought about how everyone else could hear every word that was spoken in this room. I nodded uneasily, and I continued to chant in my head _'It's the only way, it's the only way,"_ as he had me sit up slowly to take my shirt off.

As I sat up, I felt the wound in my back being stretched. I wondered if I should stop moving, but brushed it off, instead sitting more quickly to try and get it over with.

Bad idea.

As I moved, pain exploded in my back and blood rushed out of my wound, dripping down my back. I was barely aware of Carlisle trying to do something to help me with a frantic look on his face. Instead, I arched my back and gasped in obvious pain. Moving sure didn't help. The searing increased and sent excruciating waves through my whole back. I let out a scream of agony and the others raced in quickly, rushing to my side and shouting out questions and such. Their voices soon faded into the background of my own voice, and I was aware of the pool of crimson forming around me and soaking my clothing.

After that I was on the stone floor, doing everything that I could to stop the pain. As I writhed, the pain increased. Cold hands pinned my arms to my side and I was aware of everyone's voice buzzing except for one. Carlisle, Emmett, Rosalie, and Esme were communicating with each other quickly but not quietly. Jasper was gasping and groaning from my pain as he tried to help me. I wanted to tell him to stop, but I couldn't speak through the screaming. Jadyn must be somewhere in a different room, fast asleep. Edward was talking to me, but I noticed that Alice's voice was not there.

My vision was going hazy as Edward leaned over me with an expression that was over frantic. He was only focused on me.

"Come on, Bella, I need you to stay with us. Please. I can't loose you again. Especially not forever!" he pleaded with me. I tried. He won't know how hard I tried. I focused my everything on his face, his words, and tried to keep my sanity and consciousness, but the bittersweet unconsciousness was winning me over. I continued to fight, but I wanted nothing more than to give in and let the pain fade. The only urge that was stronger was him. To stay with him, but that was too hard for my mind and body.

My eyes closed with one last glance at Edward's, my angel's face, but continued to stay awake. I instead focused on his voice.

"Bella- Carlisle, her heartbeat!" he all but yelled. "BELLA!" His voice was beginning to fade as he desperately clung to my hand. "BELLA! COME ON! I CAN'T LOOSE YOU! I LOVE YOU! BELLA!"

**EPOV**

"BELLA! PLEASE!"

My angel, my existence, was dieing before my very eyes. I was completely unaware of my family's voices and Jasper's gasping behind me. Right now, it was only Bella and myself. That's all that mattered.

Her blood was soaking through her clothing, and making her hair sticky. She was getting even more pale than before, and her beautiful brown eyes were closed, possibly forever.

"BELLA! HOLD ON! YOU CAN MAKE IT! BELLA! PLEA-" A much forgotten Alice's voice broke through my begging as it rang through the room, drowning out everyone's shouts though it was only a mere whisper.

"She's not going to make it..." Alice murmered, her eyes still glazed over as she searched the future.

My heart plummeted. My Bella wasn't going to live. She would be gone.

I sat, frozen in shock, as Bella's last moments slipped away quickly.

"Edward, she's not going to make it!" Alice yelled at me, now fully in the present time. Everyone else was silent, and Jasper was watching with a tortured look on his face while I tried to get whatever point she was trying to get across.

"EDWARD! IF YOU WANT TO SPEND ETERNITY WITH HER, YOU HAVE TO CHANGE HER NOW!!!" Alice screamed. I wasn't taking in her message. I was still in a daze as I gazed at a near-lifeless form of my true meaning for existence. She had stopped screaming and writhing, and let the pain overtake her. She wasn't unconscious yet, but she had given up. Her small, beautiful body was heaving with effort to breathe. I remembered Alice.

"Huh...?" I said, half out of it.

"EDWARD ANTHONY CULLEN! YOU HAVE TO CHANGE HER NOW BEFORE IT'S TOO LATE!" she screamed. I just looked at her blankly. She rolled her eyes.

"BITE HER! NOW!"

I finally understood. This was Bella's last chance to live, but did I really want to give the love of my life eternal damnation?

"She would want you to, Edward..." Alice whispered. My mind raced as I battled myself. My conscience lost, and I gave into my selfish desires.

I leaned down over her and brought my lips to her throat. Kissing her lightly, I opened my mouth and set my venom-coated teeth on her precious skin. Before I could change my mind, I sank my teeth into her neck, letting the venom flow into her bloodstream, all the while hoping that I wasn't too late.

It was only after I could taste her sweet blood that I realised a problem. Though I could resist her delicious scent, that didn't necessarily mean I could ignore the taste. The monster side of me fought with whatever humanity I still held, as I drank the blood of my love, showing no sign of stopping.

* * *

**A/N: plz review!!! big chappie as u could tell!!! so, wat do u think will happen next?! plz tell me in a review!!! id really appreciate it!!!**

**~maddy ROSE**


	36. Chapter 36

**A/N: haha a huge thank u goes out to flamepelt3377. she noticed a huge mistake on my part. hehe im so friggin stupid. ive been spelling jadyn's name wrong the past two chapters. it should be JADYN and ive been putting JAYDEN. wat a moron i am. wow i feel like such an idiot now. ive felt a nagging feeling about that but just brushed it off. sorry guys! my bad... ive changed it now!!! hehehe sry again... :P**

**thx so much reviewers!!! im sooooo close to 800!!! thank u guys soooo much!!! old and new!!! thank yous!!!!**

**disclaimer: idoi**

I was almost gone. The yelling in the background was just a buzz. I couldn't make out anything as I gave into death.

Suddenly there was a cold feeling on my skin, and then something broke through the skin on my neck. I couldn't make out anything else as I grew even more light-headed from loss of blood. I had already given up, but I couldn't help but feel like everything was lost as nothingness took over me.

a a a

Pain shot through my veins, sinking through me. If I thought that the pain was bad before, it was nothing like now. I would love to trade this pain for the previous ond. This pain seared through me, lighting my every cell on fire slowly as it moved. It was excruciating, agonizing, tormenting, torturous. Nothing less.

Or to put it bluntly, it was worse than hell. Far worse.

The pain seemed to have lasted months, but, like when I was falling, I couldn't estimate the time without the fear of being off by thousands. All that I could tell was that as the fire seeped through my veins and neared my heart, it grew worse. It was unbearable; I wanted to scream without stopping for it to end. I would give anything, just to die. Just to have the pain end.

By the time that it was at my heart, I did scream. I screamed until my throat fell into near as much pain as the rest of my being. I wanted to jerk around, to writh in pain, but I knew that that wouldn't help, if it was anything like before. Why was this pain here, anyway? Did I fall again? Is is my back, _still? _I had no idea why or what was causing this anguish.

After thinking about it for less than a split second, I went back to trying to defeat the pain. Without success.

I felt like I was about to explode. I hurt too much to scream, now, so I didn't. I didn't even squeeze my teeth. I just focused all of myself on laying there, motionless, trying to let the pain fade. I felt as though needles had been injected into every millimeter of my skin and had continued to be pushed into me.

Suddenly, the pain did explode. I let out a shrill, glass-breaking scream and writhed around uncontrollably.

Then the pain was gone. It faded into nothing but a horrid, terrible nightmare on the blackest of nights.

I didn't move. I knew that, if I wanted to, I could, but I didn't. I just lay in thought. Where was I? How did I get wherever I was? Was I dead?

Yes. I must be dead. The pain is gone, nothing is left but a dull achy soreness, so I must be dead. There's no other excuse. If I were alive, I wouldn't feel so complete, so pure, so... right. I felt light, almost weightless, like a great weight had been lifted off of my chest. I couldn't be in hell; it was too wonderful. I must be in heaven, or at least purgatory.

Either way, I had been laying there for far too long. It was time to open my eyes to my new existence.

Slowly, I opened my eyelids and gasped.

Every little partical in the air could be seen as though it were a chunk of black coal in the middle of white snow. Though it was dark wherever I was, everything could be seen in a new light, with new clarity.

Then I looked beyond the newly seen particals to the gray stone and realization came over me. I was still in one of the rooms in the tunnels, but this wasn't the room that I had died in. Was I actually dead?

With a swift, graceful movement, I was on my feet and facing a gray wall. Suddenly I heard something behind me, and I whipped around quickly. What I saw made me stare.

Carlisle, Esme, Jasper, Emmett, Alice, and Rosalie were watching me from a doorway cautiously, almost as if they were afraid of me. But they weren't who I noticed.

I only had eyes for Edward, the Edward that I thought I had lost forever. He was standing between Emmett and Jasper in front of the others and looking at me with lots of love, and a bit of fear, which I didn't understand.

Then Edward took a step forward slowly, watching me the whole time while Emmett and Jasper tensed behind him. What the hell was wrong with them?!

"Bella?" Edward said very quietly, so quiet that I didn't understand how I heard him, and then I understood.

Moving so quickly, great eyesight, brilliant hearing... I'm a vampire! I'm one of them! Now I get why I'm not dead! Edward, or at least one of them must have changed me to save me! That's what I've been going through for the past couple of days, if I remember what Jasper and Emmett told me so long ago correctly.

Without thinking, I pelted at Edward, throwing my arms around his neck while being careful not to harm him. I remember what they told me about newborns, and how they're supposed to be stronger than other vampires.

Edward froze as I threw myself on him, but I didn't care. I started sobbing tearlessly as I embraced him. After a moment, it was clear that I wasn't going to hurt him, so Edward wrapped his arms around my back tightly, putting his head into my shoulder and neck.

I was able to notice that he no longer seemed extremely cold, nor was he as hard as a rock. We were equals in that way. I was no longer the only human, the only weak and frail one. We were both vampires, creatures that most humans had no clue existed.

Suddenly Edward gently took my face in his hands and crashed his lips to mine. I could see that he had been really holding back while I was human.

I responded with the same amount of energy and love, molding my newly cold and smooth-as-stone lips to his as I tangled my perfect fingers into his messy hair. I stood up on my toes, trying to make myself taller. He wrapped one arm around my waist and placed the other on my hip, pulling me up against his marble chest.

"Come on, guys. Get a room."

We broke apart when Emmett's snickers filled the room and looked at them.

Jasper was watching me very carefully, and then I remembered that he had experiance with newborns that were wild and blood crazy, and wasn't used to a newborn like myself. I wasn't thirsty yet, though there was a dull burning in the back of my throat.

Carlisle was standing with an arm around Esme, who was smiling. Alice looked chipper and Rosalie was smiling, also.

"Yay! Bella! You're one of us now!" Alice jumped up and down on her tiny feet as she tried to push past Jasper and Emmett to hug me. I smiled at this and laughed lightly, surprising myself when my voice came out like bells.

"What happened?" I asked. "I only remember the pain in my back and then letting go before something cold was on my throat."

"Yes, that was Edward. He bit you. We thought that it would be too late, but by some miracle you lived. We got you out of that room that was filled with blood and transported you here. We're near to an exit from the tunnels, but far enough that they couldn't hear you as you went through the changes and the screaming that came with it. It's been about three days. Esme took Jadyn up to where Rosalie said your room was to take care of her, and she's still there, sleeping. Esme just returned. You're a vampire now, Bella, as I'm sure that you've figured out," Carlisle explained. My eyes lit up at the blunt confirmation his words brought.

"Sooo... what now?" the impatient Emmett asked.

"Well, we should probably get back up to the hallways and rooms," Esme answered.

"Before anything, are you thirsty, Bella?" Jasper asked. I took in the ache in my throat. I was thirsty, but not that thirsty.

"Yes, but not too thirsty," I replied. He looked surprised.

"We'll have to get you on our diet, soon," Edward whispered in my ear. I nodded slightly.

"Edward, I remember you mentioning something about how you bottled blood for our needs. Would it be possible to run and get some for Bella?" Esme asked.

Edward nodded at my side, and with a quick peck on my cheek, he ran out of the room. I knew that he was running at vampire speed, but I could see him clearly.

We stood in a comfortable silence once he was gone. I thought about how what I now was would affect me. Would I still have to marry James? I considered running away, but quickly dismissed the thought. It would tear my father apart. Then I thought of something important.

"The ball!" I blurted out. The others snapped their gazes to me as they tried to get what I was saying.

"The ball! Oh crap! What the hell am I supposed to do?! It'll be anytime now!" I said in a raised voice. They just stared at me for a moment.

"You can't go. There will be too many humans, and you are too unused to the strength of human blood," Jasper said.

"Well, Jasper, it doesn't sound to me that she has much of a choice," Carlisle argued. "And besides, she has much better control of her bloodlust than most other newborns. She's not lunging at us, trying to find a source of blood."

"But-"

Just as Jasper tried to argue, Edward was at my side with bottles filled with delicious-smelling crimson liquid. Blood.

I tried to ignore the way my throat was now burning, screaming for that thick mixture.

"They're looking for you everywhere. We need to hurry. There's only about and hour or less left. Here. Take these. Drink them," Edward commanded.

I carefully did so, aware of all eyes on me. I took the plastic lip off and put the opening of the bottle to my lips, tilting my head back as the warm, delicious liquid flowed into my mouth and seeped into me, causing the burning to fade slightly as I finished it off quickly. I went through all of the bottles that Edward brought down before the burning was completely gone and I felt overly full.

"Geez Bella, full yet?" Emmett teased. I could only nod.

"Come on, then, Bella! We need to get you changed!" Alice said, sprinting off out of the room. With a quick glance at Edward, who nodded hesitantly, I raced after her, taking full advantage of my newly acquired vampire speed. It amazed me how nothing was a blur though I sped after the black-haired pixie through the maze of tunnels. She must know the way by now.

We soon came to the wooden stairs, and I felt a flicker of fear as I raced up them to where the torch still burned brightly.

Alice was opening the hidden door that led into my closet as I came to a stop behind her. Once it was open, she looked back at me and pressed a finger to her lips before stepping softly through the small door. I followed her, and glanced down to see a homemade bed hidden behind a row of outfits with a sleeping Jadyn in it.

We stepped into my actual room, and I froze when I saw what was on the bed. Oh. My. Carly.

"What the HELL do they expect me to do with that-that-that THING!" I whisper yelled at Alice.

"I think... I think it's a dress..." she said, cocking her head to the side as she followed my gaze to the red blobby form lying on my bed. Dress. Yeah. Right. Only when hell freezes over. **(pic on profile) **It was a red, sleeveless dress that was fitted down until right above my knees, where it flowed out with a layer of white put under the red. W.O.W.

Apparently even Alice didn't like the choice, because she just glared at it. Then she perked up, much to my dismay.

"Now I get to mess with your attire more!" she smiled, and I internally groaned.

Alice quickly pulled my bloody, filthy clothes off and told me to wash off in the bathtub. I did, scrubbing the dried blood and dirt off of me.

Once clean, I got out, wrapping a towel around me and staring at my new self in the mirror. I gasped at what I saw.

Staring back at me with redish eyes was a beautiful, pale white creature. She had a crescent shaped scar on the left side of her neck that stood out, but other than that, she was perfect. Except for the eyes. I desperately wanted them to turn into the liquid gold that my friends all had. I wondered if there was a scar on my back.

"You're done!"

Alice's voice broke through my train of thought.

"Alice, is there a scar on my back?" I asked, pulling my hair away and turning.

"Yes, but it's so faint that I can barely notice. Humans won't be able to," she answered.

Before I could reply, she handed me underwear and demanded that I put them on. I would've blushed if I could, but I still felt that familiar pressure rise to my stone cheeks, though there wasn't any blood. I did as she asked as she got that poofy piece of cloth.

After drying my hair almost completely, she helped me squeeze into the so called 'dress'. I would barely be able to walk in this thing, even with the grace of a vampire!

Then Alice pulled out the silver heels. I groaned.

Once I was dressed, Alice pushed me into a chair and started digging around the counter top for random beauty supplies.

As she was doing so, I heard something come from the other room and jumped a bit as Rosalie appeared in the doorway of the bathroom.

"Need help?" she asked. Alice only nodded, shoving a brush and some other stuff into her arms.

I just closed my eyes tightly as they worked. Brushing my hair, messing with it, eyeliner, mascara, lipstick, blah blah blah. I just wanted it to end.

They were finally done, and I didn't even look in the mirror for fear of what I would see as I stood and walked out.

"Hurry! It's begun!" Rosalie said, shoving me toward the door.

"What about-"

"Well be down there. We have to work as maids, and the guys as guards. Carlisle and Esme are going to dress up and sneak in with Jadyn. Edward is still the cook," Alice answered my unspoken question as she shut the door to my room behind me, leaving me out in the huge hallway with two very confused looking guards.

"Hello boys," I murmured, forgeting that they probably couldn't hear me as I speed-walked down the first staircase. I went in a different direction than usual, heading toward the ballroom. I had been in it only four times, but knew that I would be expected to enter by myself, coming down from a balcony using stairs. I just had to reach that balcony, first.

I wondered what my father would say. He obviously wouldn't make a huge scene in front of so many people, but I would still have to answer questions that I had no clue how to answer to, such as where had I been? Why couldn't anyone find me? Why were my eyes _red?_ I shuddered as I recalled that fact.

I was nearing the door that led to the balcony. I could easily hear the loud buzzing of conversations people would be attempting to make and the music echoing through the ballroom.

The huge doors were in front of me now. Two doormen grabbed the handles, waiting for my agreement.

With an unneeded breath, I nodded, and the doormen swung the doors open before I was stuck in the spotlight with everyone watching.

**A/N: soooo wat do u think?! the pic of the funny dress thing is on my profile... i actually thought the dress was kinda funny wen i saw it, but dats just me... u might like it, hate it, or be like me.**

**sooo...? bellas a vamp! (no surprise there. i knew u all werent fooled with the cliffly last chappie :D ur all too smart!) wats gonna happen here? watll people think of her new vampire traits? red eyes? grace? beauty? will people find out? anything else that's important? plz plz plz review!**

**~maDDy rOSe**


	37. Chapter 37

**A/N: this is not the last chapter, but this story will be coming to an end soon. just a warning. and no, there will not be a sequel. im sorry, but i have some other ideas im messing around with right now**

**thx so much to all of my reviewers!!!!!! **

**disclaimer: idoi**

**i know that i havent done this before, but id like to dedicate this chapter to Sarah, who is a friend of justrememberhe prefersbrunets, therefore my friend, too. she's up against cancer, that stupid horrid disease. this is for you, Sarah! its a really important chappie!!!**

**RECAP:**

The huge doors were in front of me now. Two doormen grabbed the handles, waiting for my agreement.

With an unneeded breath, I nodded, and the doormen swung the doors open before I was stuck in the spotlight with everyone watching.

* * *

Once I was through those big, heavy doors, all eyes were on me. I just stared out at the wall across the room while the gazes tried to penetrate my barrier of calm. After a moment, I heard some announcer announce my arrival, though I was pretty sure that everyone had noticed me already.

"Princess Isabella Swan, fiancee of Lord James Austin." I did my best to keep from gagging when he said that.

I finally brought my gaze down to the huge crowd and searched through it with my eyes for my father, who would let me know what I should do now. I noticed that Carlisle and Esme were standing together with Jadyn while smiling up at me. Alice and Rosalie were standing near the back in those stupid maid outfits. Edward was by the doors that led into the main kitchen, and Jasper and Emmett were both positioned randomly around the room in those stupid guard uniforms.

I finally layed eyes on my father and met his gaze. He was between James and my mother. He swiftly glanced over at James, silently telling me that I should dance with him now.

With an internal sigh, I turned to the curved staircase that led down to the dance floor. Grabbing the rail lightly (wouldn't want to dent it), I started down it, praying that I wouldn't overcome the gracefulness of a vampire and fall flat on my face anyway.

I let out a held breath of relief when my feet touched the solid floor. I walked over to where James, my mother, and my father were standing, next to the now cleared dance floor. All of the guests were surrounding the perimeter of it, leaving us room to dance.

I could smell all of the humans around me, and it was making my throat itch, but not in a thirsty way. It smelt like it had when I was a human. Too salty and rusty. It didn't make me light headed, obviously, but still. I held my breath as I walked gracefully across the marble floor.

Once I was at James's side, I glanced at my father. He was smiling, but I could see the little bit of anger in his eyes, which soon turned to shock at my appearance and eyes.

Before he could ask any questions, I unwillingly turned back to James, who hid his shock a bit better, though it was still there.

We walked into the middle of the floor with all eyes directed at us, including my friends. I knew that Edward would have that funny look of jealousy on his face right now, and Emmett and Jasper might even look like he wanted to eat James. Everyone else was smart enough to try and act normal.

"You look absolutely stunning tonight, Princess Isabella," James murmured, just loud enough for me to hear and not others. I could've probably heard him from across the point, and the others might've.

"Thanks," I said through the gritted teeth of a forced smile, breathing the rusty scent in slightly.

He held his hands in the dancing position, inviting me to take them so that we could begin. Reluctantly, I did so, and before the music started I felt a twinge of guilt, even though I couldn't help it.

_I'm sorry, Edward. I really really don't want to._ I hoped Edward knew that.

The music began, and James started to lead. I located Edward over his shoulder and saw that he had a surprised look on his face.

I didn't have much time to take this in, because we started spinning, and thank goodness I was a vampire, or else I might have fallen already or gotten too dizzy and fainted.

After what seemed like forever, the song must've gotten to being halfway over, because my father took my mother's hand and led her out onto the floor, where they began to dance, too. Other high-class couples followed them, and soon most each of the couples were dancing.

I tried to avoid looking James in the eye and pretend that I was focusing on not falling as we twirled in little, tight circles. I looked over his shoulder, catching glimpses of Edward or the others every now and then. Once I saw Carlisle and Esme go by, with a bubbly Jadyn safely in between, of course. She seemed to love the constant motion that the spinning brought. Carlisle and Esme were smiling lovingly at her and each other, and I wished that it was Edward I was dancing with right now, instead of James.

I noticed that the more I breathed, the more easy the scent of blood was to ignore. I could already almost breathe without unconsciously acknowledging the smell.

Finally the music stopped, and I broke away from James as fast as I could without seeming rude. He bowed to me and I felt like I should at least curtsy a bit to keep things less suspicious, if they weren't already.

I was about to walk back over to where the tables were set up, but another song began and I felt someone tap my shoulder. I spun around to see my father, holding his hand out for me to dance with him.

Inwardly groaning, I took it and began another long, dreary dance.

"Isabella."

My gaze snapped to my father's face as he spoke my name. What would he say now?

"You're going to have quite a bit of explaining to do when this is over, including _why you haven't been in the palace _for the past couple of days," he hissed through a fake grin.

Taking a small breath, I spoke.

"I was in the palace father, looking for _you,_" I lied with a new confidence. I knew it would work, though, and it did. My father was completely caught off guard and stumbled a bit. I pulled him back straight up as he regained his composure.

"Me?"

"Yes. I couldn't find you _anywhere_," I stated quietly. I was sure that none of the humans around us would hear.

"Oh." He paused for about a minute and thirteen seconds.

"Isabella...?"

"Mm?" I grunted.

"Why are your eyes red?" Damn. That question. I knew that it would come up somehow. I blurted out the first thing that came to my mind.

"Contacts." Would he buy it? I didn't have any contact circles in my eyes. Hopefully he would take it. I decided to add info, just to make it more real. "I was messing around with them earlier, but then I looked at the time and noticed that I was going to be late."

He only nodded.

Lucky for me, he was quiet for the rest of the dance. Almost.

Right as the song was about to end, he spoke.

"Isabella, you're going to have to dance until the meals come out. It doesn't matter what age they are, now that you are engaged. Be social."

Then the song ended, and he went to search for another high-class, rich, stuck-up dance partner.

I sighed. Who would I be stuck with now?

"Bella."

My name was spoken so softly that humans wouldn't be able to hear. I turned to see Carlisle come up to me. I smiled softly. This would be like dancing with my father, but without the interrogations.

"Thank you. I'd rather not be stuck with some stupid, snotty teenage boy," I said, just as quietly.

The music began and we danced, talking at vampire speed casually.

"How has your thirst been?" Carlisle asked. "If it's too bad, we can find an excuse for you to get out of here." I shook my head no.

"Actually, it's like the opposite."

He looked shocked, and raised an eyebrow for me to continue.

"It smells like it did to me when I was a human. Rusty and salty. It's very unappetizing, really." I scrunched up my nose to show him that I didn't like the smell at all.

"Well that is extremely unusual. I'm not even sure that it's ever happened before. Rare. Jasper will be very surprised, and impressed. Perhaps rather depressed," Carlisle said.

"What? Does he actually _want_ me to kill people?!" I asked, highly annoyed that Jasper would think that. Carlisle looked kind of unsure of whether to answer my question or not.

"Well, no... He and Emmett sort of made a bet over how many-"

"Over how many people I kill? Typical. I should've known that they would do something like this," I muttered, finishing Carlisle's sentence for him.

"Well, it's just how Jasper's grown to know newborns. Full of bloodlust and near uncontrollable thirst." Carlisle defended his adopted son, and I knew that he was right.

"But really? A bet!"

"I agree. That's a bit... exceeding the limit of rational things," he agreed, glancing over at Jasper and Emmett. Jasper was staring at me, watching my every move still. I glared at him.

Emmett was just standing there. He looked so bored. Poor Emmett.

The dance ended, and Carlisle bowed and I curtsied before he headed back into the crowd.

Tyler Crowley appeared in front of me the moment that he was out of sight.

"Would you care to dance with me, Princess Isabella?" he questioned. The way he said my name made me want to hurl, but I knew that I had no choice.

The music started, and we were soon spinning.

Tonight was going to be one hell of a long night.

a a a

I had finally made it past the dancing, and was now seated between my father and James at a long table. Servers were bringing out trays of food in a line, and Edward was in front with two platters in his hands.

To my great excitement, he was to give my father and I our food.

It was only then that I realized something important. Damn! I forgot to ask Carlisle about how I was supposed to 'eat'.

Edward appeared behind my father and I, and I whisper to him at vampire speed.

"How am I supposed to eat?!" He flicked his eyes to me very quickly before looking away again as he set the silver platters down in front of us.

"Just pretend. I gave you less on purpose." He is perfect!

"Thank you!" I squeaked.

He slowly began to walk away, and the other servers placed their own platters before our guests, but I could still hear him when he quietly asked me a confusing question.

"What was with earlier?" he murmured.

"What?"

"Earlier. Before you began dancing with James," he explained. Huh?

"I still have no clue what you're talking about."

"When you were taking his hands. You glanced at me and suddenly it was as though you were speaking directly into my head. Your voice said '_I'm sorry, Edward. I really really don't want to._'" I froze. I didn't say that out loud. I only thought it, though the thought was directed at him.

"I didn't say that out loud. I only directed my thought to you," I whispered. He turned slightly to meet my puzzled gaze. His own expression was one of slight surprise, and a bit of amusement.

"Looks like we know what your special ability is." He grinned before disappearing into the kitchen.

I sat messing carefully with my food as I took in his words. My ability? Like his own, Alice's, and Jasper's? What was it? It seemed like his. Reading minds. But then again, he said that my voice had come into his head. Could I speak to others in their minds?

We would find out soon. I located the nearest one of my vampire friends, which was Esme, who was sitting a couple dozen chairs down with Jadyn and Carlisle on her other side. I focused on her.

_Can you hear me?_

Her head snapped up and she met my gaze, looking slightly alarmed. I just smiled lightly and looked back down at my food as I tried again.

_Edward said that this is my 'power'._

She gave the slightest jerk of a nod to acknowledge me as she returned her slightly confused gaze to her own full plate of food. I then saw her lips move at vampire speed out of the corner of my red eyes and saw Carlisle secretively look at me for a split second.

_I take it Esme told you. _It was a statement. He nodded quickly without paying any other attention to me.

The rest of the dinner went by with stupid small talk, and before I knew it, dinner and dessert were finished. Everyone was getting up and clumping around to say good-byes before James and I had to make the final speeches.

I had separated myself from my father and James, claiming that I had someone to say good-bye to. In truth, I just needed to get away from them.

After talking to a few others, I realized that it wasn't only them that I wanted to get away from. It was everyone. Everyone, excluding the seven vampires along with the human toddler.

But, seeing as I couldn't talk to any of them alone (Carlisle, Esme, and Jadyn were speaking with an elderly couple), I just made my way toward the restrooms, but instead decided to take a break in the small medal/trophy room that was a door beyond it. I hoped that somehow Edward would follow me so that I could ask him more about my 'power' and just spend some time in his company.

I glanced down the hallway quickly, making sure that no one was around, before slipping into the room silently, shutting the door just as quietly behind me.

Suddenly I heard something behind me, and I spun around.

I gaped as anger bubbled up in me at what I saw.

James had Victoria, the red-haired maid, backed up against a trophy case and was kissing her all over her face and neck, sliding his hands up and down her sides and thighs.

It took all of my will-power not to kill him right then and there. I mean, sure, I never really liked him like _that_, but still! He was my fiancee! He would be marrying me soon, and here he was with another girl!

"Idiot" was all that I could mutter before turning and speed walking out, slamming the door behind me loudly. This was going to be a ball that everyone would remember.

I heard the door reopen behind me and James say my name, sounding both mad and worried. He raced down the hall, coming at me, but I broke out running, trying to control my speed and keep it human.

"Get back here now, Isabella! I need to talk to you before you do anything!" he called in an angry voice that reminded me very much of Jacob. This scared me.

He sprinted after me as I burst through the door into the ballroom. People stopped everything and stared as I ran toward the center of the room with James on my tail.

"Princess Isabella!" he called in a desperate voice that I knew was fake. The reminder of Jacob still had me afraid, and I knew that the fear was evident of my face, along with some anger, probably.

I looked for either my father or my friends. I didn't care if anyone saw that I was around them now, I just wanted him away. It didn't even cross my mind that I was now much stronger than him.

Emmett and Jasper were too far away. They were on the opposite side of the room, with menacing looks on their faces as they glared at James. Alice and Rosalie were by the kitchen door, and Edward was trying to weave his way to me through the swarms of guests.

My eyes were then able to lock on Esme, who was staring at the scene with wide eyes. I sprinted as fast as I could without giving myself away toward her and threw myself behind her, panting for unneccessary breath. James came to a halt in front of her as she stared him down. She could be dangerous at times.

"Please let me past. She's my fiancee!" he fake pleaded.

_NO! _I yelled at her mind with pleading even in that voice.

She wouldn't let him past. He continued to try and side-step her, but she kept blocking him until my father's voice came into the scene.

"What is happening? Isabella, what's going on?!" he asked, coming out of the crowd.

When I didn't answer, James spoke up.

"I think that I frightened her, Your Majesty. I caught her by surprise."

LIES! I wanted to scream at him as my father turned to me with a very irritated look on his face.

"Is that true, Isabella?" he asked.

"No!" I said, now angry. I stepped out from behind Esme and faced him. "No, it most definently is not! I walked in on him- him- making out and such with the maid, Victoria!" I was yelling by this time, and everyone could hear me, but it was too late now. "Then he noticed me and ran after me!"

My father's expression switched from anger to confused to disbelief quickly as he looked between James and me.

"Lies!" James growled.

"Then why do you have lipstick on your face?" Esme surprised me by countering his words, which he seemed at loss for now.

My father looked at James and saw the mark of red on his face and turned red with anger.

Before anyone could react, however, James launched himself at me and I dodged him, running at human speed to where Edward was almost at the edge of the eager crowd. He pushed through them, and I ran into his arms, much to the surprise and dismay of the guests and my father.

Edward stepped slightly in front of me as James reached him, and James ran straight into him. He yelled out in pain from the impact, and fell backward onto the floor, where he didn't get up.

Edward looked down at my lovingly, and I didn't care if I was overreacting or what I would have to deal with after this. I wrapped my arms tightly around his neck and kissed him lightly.

The guests gasped, and I met gazes with my father, who looked surprised and a bit mad as he recognized Edward.

"YOU!!!" he bellowed, and I tightened my hold on Edward, who wrapped his arms around my back. "I TOLD YOU THAT I WAS NEVER TO SEE YOU ON MY LAND AGAIN AFTER STEALING MY DAUGHTER FROM ME!!!"

Everyone whispered and gasped dramatically.

"I WARNED YOU BEFORE!!! YOU'VE MADE YOUR CHOICE!!! GUARDS!" My father turned and looked around the room for guards. His search stopped when he saw Jasper and Emmett coming toward us. Once they had joined us, my father was fuming.

"AND YOU TWO, ALSO! YOU WERE WITH HIM! YOU'RE ALL DAMN FOOLS TO SHOW YOUR FACE IN THIS COUNTRY AGAIN!"

At this, Esme marched forward and put her hands on her hips, glaring at my father.

"You WILL NOT insult my children like this. All six of them. Can't you see that Bella wants Edward? That they both truely love one another?! CAN YOU NOT SEE THAT THEY ARE ALL A FAMILY NOW?!" Wow. Edward and I were both frozen as she yelled boldly at him. I never in a million years would've even considered that Esme would do that. But at the same time, I felt extreme affection toward her. She thought of me as family, and considered me her daughter!

"You, ma'm, have no right to be speaking to me that way! I am your king! They are not related at all, not are they-"

Carlisle stepped to his wife's side with Jadyn in his arms.

"Do _not_ talk to my wife that way," he growled.

By now, Alice and Rosalie had joined where Edward, Jasper, Emmett, and I stood. My father just stared at us all purple-faced.

"YOU'RE ALL HERE! ALONG WITH THE THREE OF YOU!" My father was really losing it. How were we supposed to get out of this?!

"Bella, come here, please."

I looked up at Edward.

_Should I?_

He nodded sadly, and I walked around the unconscious form of James and over to stand beside my steaming father.

"Guards," he said, too calmly. "I want them killed. All eight of them."

"NO!" I screamed into my father's face. The guards couldn't kill them, but it would blow our secret in front of hundreds of witnesses, and Jadyn could die.

"ISABELLA, I WARNED THEM AND I WARNED YOU! IT'S TOO LATE NOW; THEY HAVE MADE THEIR DECISIONS!" he yelled back, to the amazement of the terrified guests.

The guards were by them now, waiting for my father's agreement.

"NO! I LOVE THEM, FATHER! CAN'T YOU SEE THAT! JUST LIKE I LOVE YOU!"

My father opened his mouth to say something, but it never got out.

Just then all of the doors burst open, and screaming filled the air as hundreds of men with grey-blue uniforms rushed in.

The French had arrived.

**A/N: ok ppl biiiiiigggg chappie. ppppppllllzzzz review!!! i need feedback on all this!!! **

**-bella's power**

**-vicky/james**

**-james/whole arguement**

**-edward/bella and her father finding out**

**-his reaction to all of them**

**-the french**

**-wat will happen next?**

**-any other opinions would be highly appreciated!!!**

**thx so much if u review!!! i really would like some feedback for this chappie cuz of all the things that happened!!! plz review!!!**

**~MaDdY rOsE**


	38. Chapter 38

**A/N: sry bout the wait guys. the log in button's been broken the past couple days, as I'm sure most of you have realized :P **

**u reviewers r so awesome!!! wow!!! i checked my email, and had 57!!!**

**and i mean no offence to anyone with the French thing!!! i just needed a country!!! and i luv french stuff myself, even though i suck at the language!!!**

**btw i am never skiing again... owww.... im in pain... i fell every five feet and it took me 20 minutes each time to get up... or to put it bluntly, i sucked at it. now im sore everywhere, and have this giant bruise from where the boot dug into me... lets just say that i preferred snow tubing...**

**ok guys!!! this is the end!!! i hate that it has to end, but im rather satisfied. there will not be a sequel, but there will be an epiloge.**

**disclaimer: i dont own twilight...**

* * *

**Recap:**

My father opened his mouth to say something, but it never got out.

Just then all of the doors burst open, and screaming filled the air as hundreds as men with grey-blue uniforms rushed in.

The French had arrived.

* * *

I may be a vampire, but I was still a young one. It took me a moment to realize that I couldn't be harmed, but up until then, I clung on to Edward as if my life depended on it.

The scent of blood filled the air, and that's what snapped me back into reality. The men in French uniforms had already killed off most of the guards, and the others were losing their fights. Jasper and Emmett stayed by us, though. Our enemies were flooding in, blocking each exit and knocking out walls and columns. The ground shook, and the screaming grew louder. I held my breath against the disgusting smell.

I looked up at Edward, who was looking around with a tortured expression, and Jasper looked as if he were about to break down. Esme and Carlisle were protecting Jadyn from flying material, mostly bits of wall. Rosalie and Emmett looked lost, and Alice had a blank look on her face as she just stood there.

"What are we supposed to do?!" I yelled to no one in particular.

"Well, we'll have to save Jadyn somehow," Esme called.

"We don't know what the French are planning to do. They might want everyone as prisoners, or kill them all," Edward said loudly. Even as a vampire it was hard to hear him above everything.

We were the only ones who weren't running and screaming. My father was no where to be seen, obviously trying to hide from the French. James was still lying motionless a few yards away from where we stood.

"They're not showing any signs of stopping soon!" Emmett called, for once serious.

"We should probably-"

"They won't stop. No one in here will live once they're finished. The whole palace is coming down, and we have to get out of here before they find your father, Bella! You don't want to see that!" Alice called, snapping out of her vision-stage.

"My... father?" He would die? I mean, no, I wasn't exactly on best terms with him at the moment, but still! I didn't want him to die! I looked around the crowd for him

"Come on, then. Let's go," Rosalie said.

"Where?" Carlisle asked. Edward, Jasper, Alice, Rosalie, and Emmett looked at each other for a moment.

"Care to explain?" Esme asked in an irritated tone while guarding a crying toddler.

"The ship. We left it at the port we came off at. They think that it's a trading ship, so unless they changed their minds, it should be there. It's not too far off at all," Jasper informed us.

"So let's go! NOW!" Alice shrieked, grabbing Jasper by the arm and tugging him away. Everyone else followed, and Edward pulled me backward as I continued to scan the screaming mass of people for my father. As I was pulled, I saw a French soldier finish James off and smiled inwardly to myself.

The French were all around, murdering my people as we pushed through. I put my face into Edward's chest to block my sight from the gruesome killings, and he led me along. The French tried to come at us, but Jasper and Emmett were able to quickly kill them off or knock them unconscious from the front of the group.

As we neared a space in the wall that led into the dark night, Alice began running at vampire speed toward the exit for some reason. She looked very anxious to get out.

It was as we were getting outside that I heard a voice with a heavy French accent fill the air.

"Your king is dead! See him here! Surrender now!"

I started sobbing tearlessly as I fought against Edward to race back inside and somehow save my father, but he continued to drag me across the grounds. This was what Alice had been worried about.

It was so peaceful outside, other than the screams we left behind, and surprisingly, there wasn't a single French soldier about. There were the lifeless bodies of the palace soldiers, but no grey-blue uniforms were among them.

We were all now sprinting toward the port at full speed with Emmett and Rosalie leading the way. We were already far away, well not _that _far, but French soldiers were littered across the kingdom, coming after us but falling behind quickly. Once we had halted I looked around to see that we were at a port and in front of the ship I thought that I'd never see again. The _Blood Moon_ was stationed in front of us, and everyone else was climbing up on to it. I looked up at Edward, and he motioned us onward.

There was no joyous greeting from the crew at the return of the Captain and his family. Instead, they watched as we came on to the main deck silently. I turned and stood between Edward and Rosalie as I gazed into the the land we had just left, my land, or the French's now.

As I looked back into the night, the moon shone down onto the small shadow of the palace. The air was filled with one last explosion in the distance, and the port shook one last time. I watched with sadness as the form of the palace crumbled and fell, and the French victory horn was sounded.

The ship lurched beneath us, and I was aware that we were moving as the outline of the kingdom shrunk. The waves rolled calmly around me, but Jadyn's cries didn't stop until the dark speck in the distance was gone and the sun peeked above the horizon behind me. Everyone had retreated except for Edward and myself. He had his arms wrapped around me from behind me, and I was leaning against him in my torn dress, which probably looked better destroyed than it had before.

"Look at the sunrise," he whispered softly into my ear before letting go and just grabbing my hand.

I sadly spun around and was immediately dazzled by an array of colors. Pink, yellow, orange, purple, and more. The sun was half way above the horizon, and I knew that it marked a new rising for my new eternity, which was to be spent happily with my new family. We would all watch Jadyn grow up, and see the love between everyone grow.

"It's beautiful," I whispered as I leaned back into Edward.

"I agree, but it can't compare to you," he murmured back.

"I love you," I said.

"I love you more." I didn't get a chance to argue. He grabbed my chin lightly and pressed his lips to mine. The fire flew between us like never before, and I didn't care what had just happened or what was to come. I never wanted this moment to end. I knew the grand truth right at that moment. My eternity would be spent with my Edward, and I wouldn't trade it for anything.

**A/N: i know, kinda short, but i felt that it was best to end it there. thank u reviewers so much!!! ill try to have the epiloge up soon, but reviews would help me tons!!! plz review with your opinion on the ending of bellas kingdom, their happily everafter, the whole story, and what u want in the epiloge!**

**thank u guys so much!!! i would list all of the names, but that would take me about seven hours or more, i think. thank u guys so much!!!**

**~maddy rose**


	39. Epiloge

**A/N: k guys!!! here it is!!! the end!!! thank u reviewers soooooooo much!!! i cant tell you guys how much it means!!! thank you guys so much!!! sry bout the wait and length. i was waiting for something brilliant to hit me, but it didnt so, i hope u enjoy!!!**

"Bella!"

I spun swiftly to see Jadyn approach me gracefully, her topaz eyes full of mischievous amusement.

"Have you seen Ricky?" she asked. Ricky was a member of our crew, and why she was one of us. After they had fallen in love when she was sixteen, we felt that we had no choice but to change her once she was fatally injured in a raid. We wanted them to be happy, and couldn't bear the thought of not having her cheerfulness around the ship. Ricky was already a vampire, so he turned her, later discoving that she had a power of her own. Jadyn could change her or anyone else's appearance as long as they were within her preset distance (that none of us had any control over), which we had figured out was about nine feet and twelve seventy-thirds of a foot.

"No. I haven't seen him," I replied with a smile. Though I had helped the others raise her as a human, she was more of a friend than a daughter, now, but I wouldn't forget that bubbly toddler from ninety-four years ago.

"Oh, alright. Thanks anyway," she said before running off in search of Ricky. Young love.

I glanced up at the sky. Dawn was breaking, and the gorgeous sunrise reminded me of the same one years ago, the one the day we sailed away from my kingdom for one last time. We hadn't returned since, but I had heard that the French were still ruling. We had sailed back into the Caribbean area, and returned to Edward, Jasper, and Emmett's old lifestyle, filled with raids and stopping off at islands, but this time Carlisle, Esme, Alice, Rosalie, Jadyn and myself had joined them and their crew. We had raised Jadyn on the ship for the most part, and Carlisle had been her doctor. Everyone shared the responsibility of acting as her parents, even the crew. Once she was old enough, Ricky had joined the picture. They eventually married, as did we all.

I glanced down at my ring, which sparkled in the light of the new day. After Edward and I had married, Jasper and Alice did, followed immediately by Emmett and Rosalie.

"What are you thinking, love?" His velvet voice filled my ears as two arms wrapped themselves around my waist, and a chin rested gently on top of my head.

_Why do you want to know, Captain Edward? _I teased, taking advantage of my power.

"Well, I can't read your mind, as you know, and it still frustrates me beyond reason," he replied.

"If you want to know so badly-"

"I do."

"-then I was thinking about how far we've come, and what we've gone through. It's been so much, but now I feel as though my existence is perfect. Forever sailing the seas, with the most loving, beautiful man at my side, and tons of family and friends," I sighed, spinning in his arms and kissing his cheek softly.

"I agree completely. I wouldn't trade a thing."

"Where are the others?" I asked. I hadn't seen them all night.

"Oh, they're all playing Extreme Mowe," Edward smirked before adding "I won, so I came out to see you. I think that Jadyn and Ricky joined them right after I left."

Extreme Mowe. The twisted, distorted, hysterical messed-up version of Mowe. Emmett, Jasper, and Edward had messed with the rules quite a bit, throwing in quite a few dozen rules, penalties, and cuss words. Now even Carlisle and Esme played, and some of the crew would play in their spare time.

"Don't you always win?" I asked with a grin.

"Uh huh," Edward mumbled. "They were upset... again, but I won fair and square!" I rolled my eyes.

"So mind-reading doesn't count as cheating, huh?"

"Nope. I can't help it," he said innocently. I smiled at his words.

"Hmm..."

We stood silently for a moment. Suddenly yelling erupted from one of the cabins.

"Come on, let's go sort this out," I sighed, grabbing Edward's hand and dragging him to where our family were throwing accusations, cards, fists, and profanities around in Jasper and Alice's cabin. It was pretty serious.

Ricky and Emmett were rolling around on the ground, and Jasper was trying to pry Emmett off of the younger vampire without success. Carlisle and Jadyn were in some sort of yelling match, throwing their cards up in the air to make their hand gestures more extreme. It was rather funny to see Carlisle yelling at his adopted granddaughter for no sane reason. Alice, Esme, and Rosalie were having a cat fight that included pulling hair and rude gestures between Alice and Rosalie. Esme was screaming at them to stop and calm down, but she looked annoyed herself.

I smiled brightly. This was my family, and I loved them all.

Edward had joined Jasper in trying to get Emmett off of Ricky, and I found myself in the middle of the two vocal battles, grinning like an idiot. I wondered what they were fighting about this time. Most likely it was something incredibly _stupid_, having something to do with the unneeded added rules, or who was cheating, or perhaps someone insulted another's mate. With Alice's future-seeing abilities, Jasper's emotion-reading power, and Jadyn's appearance changing thing, anything could have occurred. Anything.

_Idiots_I told Edward, using my own ability. I saw him give a quick nod and widen his eyes in an irritated way before returning his attention to the fight.

Finally I decided to step in.

"Will you morons stop fighting?!" I shouted. All of the yelling ceased, but Ricky and Emmett were still rolling on the cabin floor. It was a pretty funny sight once I looked at the frozen figures.

Carlisle's hands were tangled in his blond hair, and he looked to be restraining himself. Jadyn's hands were thrown up in the air, and her face was in an angry scowl. Alice had jumped on Rosalie's back and was pulling her hair, and Rosalie was grabbing her wrists tightly. Esme was trying to pull Alice off.

_Rosalie, get Emmett off of Ricky before someone ceases to exist,_ I demanded. She still looked annoyed, and her hair was messed up, but she did as I asked after shaking Alice off. We didn't need an eternally depressed teenage vampire because she lost her mate.

Rosalie just marched over and grabbed her idiotic husband by the ear before dragging him off of Ricky and leading him over to where she stood, on the opposite side of the room from Alice, while Ricky leaped up and over to Jadyn. Edward and Jasper heaved an unneeded breath of relief and high-fived each other before leaning back against the wall in wait for my continuation.

"What was it this time?!" I asked in an exasperated tone. They all started yelling over each other and pointing fingers.

"One at a time!" I shouted, and once it was silent, I pointed to Jasper, who seemed to have been the only sane one when I entered the room.

He took a breath, but before he could speak, a voice rang down the hallway and through the open door to our ears.

"There's another ship comin', Captain!" it called.

Everyone looked at each other in excitement, momentarily forgetting the huge battles that had _just_ been occurring. I covered my ears and waited for it.

"RAID!!!"

Instantly everyone was buzzing around the room, picking up the enormous mess that had been made and helping their recent "enemies." I knew that they most likely wouldn't remember this again, and that everyone was on good terms with each other once more.

Once Alice had confirmed that the room was as perfect as it had been before playing Mowe in it, we all headed out to the main deck, where a ship could been seen within a few minute's sail. All of the vampire pirates had assembled themselves into their group, and Jasper took his place in the front of the sword-covered vampires, ready to lead them into battle.

The _Blood Moon_ soon reached its prey, and the crew and my family launched themselves across the gap and began the battle, leaving Edward standing by my side on his ship.

I glanced up at him and grinned. He caught my gaze and returned the smile.

"Are you excited and ready?" he asked.

"I sure as hell am. Let's go kick some human ass!"

With that, we followed onto the opposing ship's deck, and I smiled as I drew my sword.

This was how I knew the rest of my forever would be. With my family and love by my side, we would sail the oceans together for the rest of eternity.

FIN

**A/N: so that's it! the end!!! i feel so great now, like ive accomplished something great in my own terms! i really really hope that you guys liked it!!! plz review and tell me how you liked everything that happened with the Cullen family in my story! everything! thx so much readers and reviewers!!! u guys spin my pirate world around!**

**~MaDdY rOsE**


	40. AN please read

**A/N: Hello readers from a long long time ago!**

**I'm just putting this up to say that I have a new story up that I'm a bit unsure about and if you get the chance if you would please check it out???**

**I'll take this down in about a week.**

**Thanks!**

**~chocolate coffee**


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